Used and Unused
by Hespera Nova
Summary: Katze starts a new life as Iason's Furniture.
1. Chapter 1

Used and Unused – Chapter 1

Ai no Kusabi does not belong to me, nor its characters. No money is being made.

"Everyone in life will hurt you. You will just have to figure out which people are worth the pain." (Bob Marley)

A Pair of Gloves

As he lightly treaded behind his master's steps, his world in turmoil, his own mind a new type of hell, Katze thought he was not supposed to be there. He had connived, he had schemed, only to get into the metallic town, whose glittering he had mistaken for a promise of hope. When he had learned about the price he had to pay, to be there, it had all seemed like a bad joke, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. The reality being the taste of his own blood, as he bit through his lip during the painless surgical procedure. He even now did not quite understand what they did to him in that cold white room, as, upon awakening, he had been requested by his new master immedately, and he had not time to check on the damages. Something was different, for sure, but Katze did not really want to meet reality. But just thinking about what he had given up, only to be installed as an appliance in a luxurious penthouse, made the bile rise in his throat. Just the thought that there was no turning back rendered his life hopeless, and the little light he had held dear for so long inside his soul was now starting to diminish, leaving him cold and emotionally naked, in the narrow chamber of his own designs. A voice, calm and steady, and so profoundly masculine, woke him up from his musings:

"Good evening, Iason."

Katze stopped behind his master, not daring to look up, and match the attractive voice with a face, he had no doubts, of equally appealing value. He had noticed, from the very moment he sat foot in Tanagura, that everybody here was astonishingly beautiful: Blondies, Pets, even Furniture, such as him. Furniture, he let himself muse a little more, how appropriate a term to describe his current predicament. The voice continued, tickling Katze's hearing like sweet music.

"I see your new Furniture has been delivered."

"Yes, my friend, I just went out to fetch him. He is still shy, as you can see, but I am certain he will be able to catch up rather quickly, at least, this is what the figures indicate."

While the two Blondies chatted, Katze rightly summised that the other male was also an Elite of high standing and probably a friend as well since the conversation between the two was not formal. Assuming a submissive stance, Katze held his head down, as the two Elites talked about him as if he were an object.

He was truly taken aback when he felt the silky touch of a gloved hand, pushing aside his bangs from his forehead.

"IQ?" The voice enquired further.

"Over 250, 283 to be precise", his master commented.

The hand caressing his hair stopped for a second.

"Rather unusual for a Mongrel."

"My thoughts exactly, Raoul. He was kept especially for me, for this reason only."

"Only?"

The voice belonging to the one called Raoul seemed slightly surprised, for reasons Katze could not fathom. The hand went down and lightly grabbed his chin, persuading the redhead to straighten up. However, his eyes remained cast down, in fear of neglecting the protocol, which he had yet to learn.

"Look at me, boy."

The tone was more convincing then demanding, and Katze suddenly realized that it was not his master issuing the command.

"It is alright, Katze. You may look at Sir Am."

Relieved that his master seemed so understanding of his position, with a non-audible sigh, Katze opened his eyes. In that moment, his breath hitched in his chest, as his eyes rose to meet a pair of deep emerald pools, hypnotic in their quest of reaching towards Katze. Or that was at least what the redhead thought. For all he knew, their look might look equally intense when they were bored, as well as when enthralled with something. The truth was, he knew nothing about Elites. His mind registered the beautifully shaped face, the mane of a different hue than of his master's, and the elegantly arched lips that were now moving, while animated by a small smile.

"Katze …"

For some reason, the way the words rolled from those lips made Katze's eyelids flutter for a splint of a second.

"Pretty, very pretty", the voice commented. "His name suits him."

"I thought that, as well. He seems to be inordinately beautiful, as he is clever. I think he will complement my household well."

"A very good choice, Iason. Your taste in Pets and Furniture has a well deserved reputation."

A low chuckle coming from his master made Katze turn his head towards the source of the sound. Everything about these Blondies seemed to attract Katze. The hand fell from his chin, making the redhead regret his sudden move. He had liked the touch of that hand.

"Thank you for your compliment, my friend. We all know how much of a miser you are with those."

"I don't believe in giving false compliments Iason."

"I know, Raoul, that is why I appreciate your friendship so much."

Iason moved next to Raoul and placed a friendly hand on his visitor's shoulder. Katze was openly staring at the two incredible males in front of him. It was not possible for human beings to be so beautiful. That was why Iason Mink and Raoul Am were not humans. Their perfection had been carefully crafted by the robotic deity governing the planet, to celebrate Jupiter's worth. 'One could say she did not do a half ass job', Katze pondered, ignoring for a moment that he was the subject of the conversation.

"Can you take a look at him now?"

"That will be my pleasure."

Katze's candid countenance turned to a frightened stare, when Sir Am closed the distance between them once again, in order to grab the boy's shirt hem and push it gently upwards. His hands involuntarily reached for the gloved ones, to stop them in their trail. He was not ready!

"Katze", Iason's voice sternly commanded, "let Lord Am see you. You do not want to test my patience from the very first day."

Murmuring an apology, Katze removed his hands from Lord Am's, and allowed his shirt to be removed. He gulped when he felt the deft fingers stretching his pants waistband, and just imagining the beautiful male undressing him, and bending in front of him in an awkward position made him act. He quickly dropped his pants, using his own hands, and stepped out of them, assuming an almost military stance that made both Blondies genuinely laugh. Katze was amazed at how easygoing those two seemed to be, but he cursed inwardly for being the source of their amusement.

"A smart scary cat we have here", Sir Am commented joyously.

The redhead gasped for air, when the man grabbed his manhood into his palm, tugging gently. 'The fuck! Why do I feel … Shit, do I still have them?' Katze thought wildly, when he felt his balls constricting from the skilled touch. 'Oh, no,' he continued, 'the only thing that remains is for me to get a hard on! They didn't cut me! They'll throw me out!' Although relieved at the thought of still having his package, his smart mind guided him to dire consequences. What followed amazed Katze even more. Sir Am was clearly rubbing him, making the young Furniture gasp. Something was amiss, Katze could tell, even as the pleasurable feeling in his testicles soon transformed into sort of an itch he could not scratch. Daring to look down, he stared at his own limp dick, still tugged at by the beautiful gloved hand.

"Yes, Iason, they did a fine job. The boy will not be able to develop an erection, so your Pets will be safe with him."

What were they talking about? Katze's mind was screaming. What kind of a cruel and unusual punishment was that? Everything was there, as far as he could quickly check, so what was the problem with him? The hand left him again, and the glove that touched him was discarded, along with its pair, leaving naked hands, that fascinated Katze in their elegance. The gloves were handed to him, with the command:

"Go throw these away."

"And bring Lord Am a new pair. Ask the boy that opened the door for me where can you find them."

Disheveled, flustered, his cheeks in flames, Katze cast his head down and said quickly:

"Yes, Master Iason."

He turned for the door, but he had only taken one step, when the voice of his master stopped him again:

"Clothe yourself, I do not want my household to be thrown into chaos by my new and audacious Furniture, choosing to flaunt his nudity all over the place."

Katze hurriedly picked his clothes up from the floor, stumbling upon words of murmured apologies, causing another genuine laughter to emerge from both Blondies.

"No wonder he is a redhead. He is nothing but fire. I hope you will be training him well, Iason. His manners could quickly get him into unwanted troubles."

"No point in reminding me, Raoul. But creatures like him are fun to watch, isn't it?"

Katze did not wait to hear the answer. Half dressed, he slipped through the door, trying to make himself little. Why were they so sure he would get into trouble? He mustered all his efforts to be cool and calm!

Once outside the door, he drew a quick breath. But he did not leave right away, as his quick mind began to draw the dots together. On the other side, the conversation continued, with Katze as a silent, unknown witness.

"Not that I do not appreciate your decision, Iason, but why did you choose to incapacitate the boy, rather than castrate him?"

"It is quite simple, really. I do not want his sharp mind to be devoided by the profitable effects of testosterone. While I fully understand why Furniture is not allowed to copulate with Pets, removal of the testes can lead to serious harm, in the long run. A high intellect, like Katze's, should not be ruined, and I would like to have it, as is. Plus, his appearance will only benefit, as well, don't you think?"

"Yes, Iason, his development will be nothing short of amazing, at least this is my medical point of view. And, as an admirer of what is beautiful, I would hate to see that perfect boyish beauty to later falter into an effeminate, ambiguous look. He will grow up to be a perfect masculine specimen. But it will be hard for him, to feel, and to react, without the capacity of doing."

"It is part of his training. He will get used to it."

On the other side, Katze was checking his mental clock. He knew he would look suspicious, if he had not returned in due time with the required pair of gloves. His mind was filled with new info, but he chose to put it aside, to check on it later. Now, he had a job, so he hurried towards the exit, where he was to ask the other servant about gloves.

As for the issue of the used ones, Katze quickly fold them and pushed them inside his pocket, making sure that the surface of the fabric was flat enough, to avoid any suspicious glares.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ANK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Knocking softly on the door, Katze entered the door to the room where the two Blondies were still discussing quietly about some issue.

"Here are the new gloves, Lord Am", Katze pushed forward the golden plate, where the pair was elegantly laid.

"Thank you, Katze", the amused voice returned the favor, making Katze think why was all this like music to his ears.

The other pair was burning in the servant's pocket. Katze kept his cool though, as Iason dismissed him.

"You may go, Katze. I will let you know about your obligations later."

"Iason, can I ask for a favor?"

"Yes, of course, Raoul."

"Could I have Katze see me to the door?"

Katze's heart was beating faster. Why was the Blondie asking for this? That slight flame of pride he still held dear flickered, although he tried to quash it.

"Certainly, my friend. Katze, stay by the door, and accompany Lord Am upon his departure."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ANK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was late, and his limbs were aching, not to mention his imperious need to piss. These Blondies surely loved to talk a lot, and Katze had not dared leave his place until they were done. And it was not even interesting conversation, from what he could hear. When the door finally opened, Katze was hardly repressing a yawn.

"Look, Iason, your young Furniture is still here. I think we pegged him wrong. He is not that much of a rebel."

They surely loved to make fun of him. No wonder, since their conversation was so boring. But Raoul's light attempts to taunt him were irking Katze somehow. He chose to brush it aside, remembering his place in the world.

"See Lord Am to the door, Katze."

"Yes, Master Iason." Katze bowed. "Lord Am, please follow me."

After a new exchange of pleasantries, Sir Am finally decided to beg his leave.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ANK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Quietly, Katze led the way through the maze of the penthouse, with Raoul Am close behind. He opened the door, and bowed reverently:

"Have a safe trip back home, Lord Am."

A hand reached for Katze's face, caressing it, and the redhead dared look up.

"I wish you the best of luck, Katze."

The green pools of emerald got closer, and it was only then that Katze's mind registered the warm breath upon his cheek, as Raoul bent to kiss him. The redhead turned his head quickly, and the kiss intended for his cheek landed on his lips, instead. Katze withdrew in flushed amazement, immediately stammering.

"I apologize, Lord Am! I didn't mean to!"

"Hush", a firm digit was placed on his lips. "Someone might hear you."

Totally horrified, Katze watched as the beautiful lips were elegantly licked by the quick tip of a pink tongue that withdrew quickly. The gesture seemed casual, yet so erotic in its simplicity, that Katze's heart skipped one bit.

"I will see you again."

That was a promise for Katze to contemplate while later alone, in his Spartan room.

**TBC**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you guys for reading!**

**Special thanks to Savagehunger47 and cybersuzy (the story gets even more complicated, I hope ;))**

Reality

Slowly, Katze was getting used to his surroundings. What seemed harder, though, was to get used to his remade sexuality. Lord Am had been right about things being tough for him. Just the other day, he had been introduced by Iason to the stable. Two beautiful boys and one green eyed girl who were to be served by the new Furniture. Katze had found it particularly difficult to look at the girl, not only because he had not seen too many females in his life, but also because of her deep green eyes that continually reminded him of another pair of emerald orbs, that not so long ago had stared into his, making his heart tremble in excitement and fear at the same time.

"You will attend to their every need. Pets must always be happy, in order to please their Master." The other Furniture had told him, while Iason had just nodded in approval at the castrate's words.

Katze had no problem following orders, but he soon discovered that Pets were incredibly stubborn and demanding creatures. Their heads empty, but nurturing a preposterous need to be boastful, to match their Master's reputation, the only being they actually respected. Katze could not believe how capricious they could be, or what a handful they could become for Furniture.

"What happens to Pets, once they are no longer useful?" he asked Karl, the other servant taking care of the Mink household.

"What do you mean?" the servant quired in a hushed voice, while neatly folding an expensive piece of garment.

"Well, it's not like they are going to stay pretty or young forever", Katze commented, while getting close to the other, to share the same hushed tone.

"Neither are we", Karl spat back, almost angry.

"But we can still be useful even if we are not as pretty as Pets", Katze replied.

"Take a good look around, Katze. Do you see any old Furniture?"

"Are they retired?" the redhead offered an explanation, although he knew jackshit about everything and he was just basically fishing for information.

"You wish", Karl retorted, in a tone pretty much resembling disdain towards Katze's innocence about Tanagura domestic affairs. Then, he had continued with fear in his voice. "No one really knows what happens to us … Too many disappear overnight, only to be replaced the day after with others brought from …"

"The slums?" Katze quirked an eyebrow to the man's obvious fear.

Not that he did not get fear; it was, after all, the same encompassing feeling crushing him from the first day he had stepped into Tanagura. But, with time, his natural curiosity was pushing him towards discovering more about his surroundings, surpassing the other emotion entirely.

"Hush", Karl chided, surreptitiously peeking around, too see if their conversation was not already overheard by some impromptu guest. "We are not allowed to speak about such things. Our role here is to keep our heads down and our tongues tied."

"But it does not seem fair, does it?" Katze's ire beginning to rise, his fists clenched inside the pockets of the sexless uniform.

Karl had looked at him like he was some sort of escaped lunatic. "Fair? I will tell you this only once, Katze, put a zipper to that mouth of yours, or you will get in real trouble, really soon!"

Katze nodded quietly. Karl walked away with the laundry, but, before stepping out of the room, he turned towards the Katze and said in a hushed tone: "About Pets … I heard they are sent to Midas' most luxurious brothels, but you did not hear this from me."

With that, Karl disappeared, in the same quiet manner which was the mark of his existence, leaving Katze to ponder on his words.

What would a Midas brothel be like to one only used to be praised and pampered by servants, always at their back and call? Katze did not know much about the brothels situated in the mid area that separated Tanagura from Ceres. But he could grasp the concept, at least, and he could imagine what falling out of favor could mean for the bird like brain of a Pet. Although apparently well above a Furniture's station, a Pet was destined to live the days of a butterfly, one moment in the sun, in exchange for a life in darkness.

Furniture, on the other hand, represented a bigger mystery to Katze. And this was something he wanted to know more about, since this was his destiny. The only thing he had learned was that he was supposed to blend in with the environment, in order to avoid incurring the wrath of his Master or one of the Pets. "Just keep them happy", he had whispered to himself, although he didn't have a clue as to how deep the rabbit hole really went.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ANK~~~~~~~~~~~~

Madeleine, the female pet, was particularly a royal pain in the ass. She seemed to be on the brink of tears for the slightest reason. She also seemed to manifest a particular pleasure in tormenting Katze, who had been assigned as her personal servant, on top of the regular household needs. The lord of the house had commented on assigning this easier task to him, since he was new, but Katze could hardly imagine what could be deemed as more difficult than pleasing the female Pet. Nothing ever pleased her as she only seemed guided by a rollercoaster of emotions that were draining Katze of all his energy.

He had learned from Karl that the girl was kept a virgin by the Master, for breeding purposes. That also meant that Madeleine was not required by lord Mink to perform, which, unfortunately, left her too much free time to torture her new toy.

"You're so lucky", Karl had told him. "Don't complain. I must take care of Sir Shiv and Sir Tryn, while you only have Lady Madeleine."

"I suppose two devils are more trouble than one", Katze had murmured, and Karl had thrown him one of his 'hush' glares, which had caused him to cast his head down, in defeat.

"You do not know what performing Pets can be capable of", Karl had added, leaving Katze to wonder what he had meant with those words.

Katze had only a slight idea about what a 'pet performance' was about. Karl always seemed to become tongue-tied when he was bringing it up, just mysteriously telling him that Katze would see for himself at some point.

But since his Lady Madeleine was kept out of it, he still didn't have a clue as to what actually took place.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ANK~~~~~~~~~~~~

However, that was about to change.

One day, the door bell rang, and Katze hurried to answer it, relieved that Karl was momentarily in charge of the female pet, leaving him to attend the rest of the household needs.

His eyes become wider when he saw the person at the door. He had not seen Lord Am since his first day in the Mink household, and two weeks had since passed during which Katze had often dreamed about the accidental kiss, while inhaling the fading scent of the gloves he had not thrown away, as instructed. He was still keeping them stashed away in his room, although he had been telling himself at least a thousand times that keeping such an item in his possession might, as well, mean his demise, if found in his room or on his person and not being able to offer a credible explanation.

"Lord Am", he almost shouted, "welcome to Lord Mink's home", he continued hoping to reign in his excitement as he tried to speak in a more formal tone. Eyes cast down, hoping he had not stared too much at the beautiful Blondie Katze now stood silent.

Raoul Am was as beautiful as Katze remembered. The green garments, adorned with delicate gold details, only made the Blondie's green eyes a deeper shade of that impossible color, and just a simple glance at them had made the servant's poor heart almost burst from his chest.

"Hello, Katze", Lord Am greeted the boy, placing a warm hand on his head. "Where is Iason? I think I might have missed him at the club."

"Lord Mink is not currently home, but he said he will be back by dinner time. If Lord Am wishes", Katze dared, "he may wait for Master Iason in the living room."

'Say yes, please, say yes', Katze pleaded inaudibly, while still keeping his head down, but relishing the warmth of the hand still resting on his head.

"Certainly, why not?" Lord Am decided and let himself guided towards the living room, by an exhilarated Katze, barely maintaining his Furniture composure, excited by the thought that he would serve the man inhabiting his dreams for at least half an hour, before his Master was to return home.

A little voice warned him that he was supposed to call Karl to attend to such an important guest, as the head of Furniture serving in the household, but he brushed the thought aside, making an internal note on thinking about a way to deal with the reprimand he would get later that evening.

After watching Lord Am placing his resplendent being on the lavish sofa facing the incredible Tanagura views from Iason Mink's windows, Katze asked dutifully:

"Would Lord Am desire anything?"

"Really?" The amused spark in emerald eyes almost made Katze blush.

"For a drink, I mean", the redhead added quickly. 'Damn it! I have to ask Karl how to properly ask for these things! My protocol seems to be lacking.'

"Pour me some brandy", the Blondie gestured.

Quiet steps took Katze to the bar discreetly hid behind a curtain of the same color as the creamy walls. Luckily for him, he was now familiar with the lavish penthouse, and there were only a few areas, like the Master's bedroom, where he had not been allowed so far. With careful movements, he poured the amber liquid into a large glass, making sure he was not exceeding the recommended quantity.

"All is well, I assume, Katze?" Lord Am asked, in an even tone.

"Pardon me, Lord Am?" Katze asked in turn, not sure what to make of that question.

"With your training."

"Oh, yes, thank you for your interest, Lord Am."

"Come here", the Blondie motioned him, and Katze came almost running, the new conditioning being the only thing keeping him from almost throwing himself at the man's feet.

He offered Lord Am his drink, and waited patiently for the man to continue.

Raoul Am took a small sip and let the drink caress his tongue for a second before swallowing gracefully.

Katze had not known that there was a way to be graceful when drinking alcoholic beverages until he had entered Tanagura. He had seen his Master, but Lord Am seemed to be the pinnacle of refinement in his eyes, so he just watched in pure fascination those graceful lips barely touching the alcohol, to purse a little, allowing a pink tongue to touch liquid ever so lightly, before withdrawing rapidly. There was no room of comparison between these powerful beings and the dirty men drinking stout in the slums, directly from their bottles, since glasses were an unknown concept there.

"Has Iason introduced you to the Pets?" Lord Am demanded, watching Katze through the crystal of the glass, and frowning for some unfathomable reason.

"Yes, the Master has shown me the stable, and I am now in charge of taking care of one of them."

"Oh, I see." Somehow, the Blondie looked disappointed, but Katze couldn't understand why.

"I am Lady Madeleine's humble servant", the Furniture added, hoping that Lord Am's interest in him and his whereabouts would not fade.

The Blondie's face became interested once more upon hearing about Katze's role with the Mink stable.

"So, you have had no interaction with the male Pets?"

"Karl is in charge of Sir Shiv and Sir Tryn. Master Iason says I have to learn how to deal with an easier task for now."

"Does he now? No point in postponing the inevitable, though". The last words Lord Am seemed to have said only to himself, since his eyes had diverted from Katze's humble form to the resplendent Tanagura views.

Katze wondered what Lord Am could mean by that, but his trail of thought was stopped by an unusual remark coming from the beautiful guest.

"Your eyes are like brandy. Amber." The Blondie mused, looking again at Katze through his glass.

"Thank you, Lord Am", Katze murmured, warming up inside at the compliment.

"The scared cat turned into a quiet Furniture?" Lord Am enquired, standing up and touching Katze's forehead to push away the long bangs, his drink still in the other hand.

"I hope I will become worthy of my Master's approval." Katze offered a textbook reply, not knowing what to say, but enjoying the touch of the gloved hand caressing his skin.

"Yet, you have plenty of things to learn. I do not understand why Iason is taking such little steps with you though. You are highly intelligent, and, soon, your spirit must become as well trained as your body."

"I … do not know why."

"Of course you cannot tell what passes through your Master's mind. You are, after all, only Furniture."

Somehow, the last word stung. He was not Katze, or a Mongrel, he was now Furniture, an appliance to be used and discarded after its expiration date, and any interest manifested by the majestic being in front of him was only due to its value as an acquisition for the Mink household.

"Hello, Raoul. I hope you have not waited long."

His Master's voice almost startled Katze, but he kept his composure and waited for Lord Am to respond, before he could also make his own formal address of welcome. He also noticed, from the corner of his eyes, an almost fuming Karl treading behind Lord Mink, so he intended to make himself scarce, as soon as possible.

"No worries, my friend. Katze here kept me pleasant company."

"Welcome back home, Master Iason", the redhead murmured on cue, after Lord's Am reply.

"Karl, set the table. Lord Am is joining me at dinner. Do I have this pleasure, Raoul?"

"Of course, I have some things to discuss with you, as well."

Katze made himself little, wanting to follow Karl to the kitchen, but Lord Am stopped him, gently grabbing his arm.

"Katze, stay a little longer."

Iason quirked an eyebrow at his friend's unusual gesture, but said nothing, waiting to see what would follow.

"Iason, I understand that the boy has not yet been properly introduced to pet performances."

Iason smiled inwardly. He had to admit that Raoul's interest in his new Furniture was amusing to watch. The second in command was not known to be impressed easily, which made the redhead Furniture even more interesting to the Head of the Syndicate.

"No. I decided to keep him out of it for a while. And", Iason continued without flinching, "I surmised you would want to witness his first time".

It was Raoul's turn to raise his eyebrows, but he admitted his interest with a small smile and slight nod of acknowledgement.

"Sometimes I wonder which of us is the better psychologist. But there is no wonder you made it into politics, while I preferred the safety of my labs. Yes, I would very much like to be present at Katze's ritual of passage."

"Tonight is as good as any, I assume?"

"No point in postponing the inevitable, right?"

It was the second time that evening that Katze was hearing Lord Am saying the same words, and now he clearly understood who they were addressed to.

"Katze, go rest in your room, until you are called."

The redhead bowed silently and left the room, wandering why he was not requested to serve at the dinner table, and about what was going to happen later.

Once the door closed behind the new Furniture, Iason, staring sharply into his friend's eyes finally spoke:

"He will not take this well."

"No Furniture does", came the matter-of-fact reply. "But it is their duty, after all."

"Do you really want to see him break? I thought you were more compassionate."

"A well trained Furniture will serve his Master as is required. I am only watching upon the well being of your household, Iason."

"Like always, my friend. But you have never manifested such an interest in a Furniture before. Why this one?"

Raoul absently took another sip from his drink.

"He has a certain appeal I suppose. I want to watch closely his transformation. When dealing with new challenges, especially those that affect the spirit rather than the intellect, even an intelligence such as his can react in an unpredictable manner when the very spirit is forced to bend, break or comply. It may refuse to obey or it may break entirely, unable to cope with a reality with little or no pride left within him."

"Pride? Furniture should have none."

"Katze could prove different. I think it best if I monitor him when important changes take place in his world."

"And if he does not comply? Should I dispense with him?" Iason asked, while carefully searching his friend's features.

Raoul frowned for a brief second.

"I do not think we need jump that far ahead. I shall see that he understands his place and he is of service to you."

Iason did not press the matter further. He had understood enough from his friend's unspoken words that the redhaired Furniture represented something special to Raoul, and, for the time being, he decided to remain a simple witness, waiting for events to unfold and to show their significance.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ANK~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Karl entered his room, after knocking somewhat energeticly, Katze was contemplating the ceiling, wondering what events the evening had in store for him.

"Master Iason and Lord Am request your presence for tonight's performance. Hurry."

Katze could tell the other boy was upset with him.

"Karl, I didn't mean to …" He tried to apologize.

"Sneaking behind my back? I guess I underestimated you, after all. Getting into Master's graces so fast … welcoming Lord Am, when I was supposed to be the one to do it …" Karl spat in a hushed tone.

"Really, Karl, I meant no harm. Look, I will work hard and help you, and I will never go behind your back again, I swear."

The last thing Katze wanted was to make an enemy of the other Furniture.

"Just move", Karl ordered and disappeared.

With a sigh, he jumped out of bed, realizing that there would be no help from Karl on what to do or expect. He would only have his own instincts to fall back on. And he didn't have a clue as to what to expect.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ANK~~~~~~~~~~~~

Upon entering the room where the performance was to take place, Katze felt a certain sensation of oppression washing over him, but tried to chase it away. The two Blondies were comfortably sit on the sofa, while, in front of them, kneeling on a lavish, giant pillow sat the pet called Shiv. What made Katze almost instantly gasp for air was the complete nudity of the blue haired boy. From where the Furniture was standing, he could not see his face, but the arched back and a hand that was clearly placed between the parted knees left little to the imagination to what the boy was doing. Shiv did not turn when Katze entered the room, as Pets never paid too much attention to Furniture, their actions deemed unworthy of their interest.

His Master was the one to motion him to come closer.

"Katze, you will help Shiv perform tonight."

"Yes, Master Iason."

Katze bowed, but his cheeks were in flames. He had no clue about what would be requested of him, and the Pet's nudity was not helping him think straight either.

"Do not worry, Katze." He heard his Master saying. "We will guide you through."

Although the words seemed reassuring, Katze did not feel too relieved.

"Come", the Master of the house demanded. "Shiv, stop touching yourself. Katze, touch him."

The command left no room for comments or retreat, although the Furniture felt like he wanted to storm out the door in a heartbeat.

Approaching the pillow on which the Pet sat, he knelt in front of Shiv, and timidly placed his hands on the boy's sides, not knowing what exactly was required from him. That earned him a cruel chuckle from the Pet that impatiently grabbed his wrists and placed his hands on his sex. Katze retracted his hands in an instant, like the contact had burned him.

The Master's stern voice intervened:

"Shiv, mind your manners. Katze, you are supposed to touch his sex."

Unconsciously, Katze pulled at the collar of his uniform, trying to get more air. His smallest gestures were observed by two pairs of blues and greens, the Pet being the only one that looked rather bored.

Raoul bent towards Iason and whispered something into his ear. The Master smiled coldly.

"Katze, take off your uniform."

Trembling, the Furniture rose to his feet and unbuttoned his shirt, letting it fall from his slender shoulders. With his eyes cast down, he missed the surprised look in the Pet's eyes, upon seeing his naked chest. He carefully stepped out of his pants, letting his briefs on. Apparently, it was enough for the two Elites, who did not demand him to be completely naked.

It was also more than enough for Katze, who felt like he was exposed in ways he could not think possible. The sexless uniform he wore each day now seemed like some sort of armor that had allowed him a certain sense of security. With it gone, Katze almost felt lost. He exhaled and inhaled deeply, trying to regain his composure, although now he felt three pairs of eyes staring at him.

"Shiv, show him the ropes."

The blue haired Pet lifted himself on his elbows on the lavish pillow, stretching his legs in a lascivious manner. He motioned Katze to kneel between his legs, then he took the other boy's hand and placed it around his manhood. Then taking Katze's other hand, he placed it on his testicles, showing the Furniture how to stimulate him.

It was not like Katze was completely new to this. He had masturbated before, not enough to get a hang of it or to become an expert, but he had. What was new was the unbearable tickling sensation in his own loins, and the eyes staring at him, among which two belonged to a person Katze had thought special. He had thought him different, but here he was, witness to his humiliation, encouraging even what was happening to Katze. Even though Lord Am had not spoken a word while all this was happening, his presence alone was burning into Katze's skin, and equally into his soul.

On top of it all, the Pet was looking at him with a mix of disgust, interest and disdain in his violet eyes. He let his head down, trying to pretend to be all alone, in a safe place, concentrating on the mechanic movements of his hands. He understood as much that he had to make the Pet come, for the Masters' pleasure, so he put his all in doing it.

However, the other protagonists of the evening had other plans.

"He rubs too hard", he heard the Pet complaining, and it dawned on him what Karl had tried to warn him about performing Pets.

"Shiv, help him get it right", Master Iason commanded.

"May I play with him, Master? It may help me", the Pet whined again, and Lord Mink nodded.

Next to the Master of the house, Raoul Am was watching with great interest. Although he had already seen Katze naked, the scene was becoming so sexually charged, that it was making him see things in a surprising new light.

The Pet rose and shamelessly grabbed Katze's buttocks, making him gasp. Shiv rubbed his groin suggestively against the Furniture's inadequate package, sending a shiver down Katze's spine to the place that was supposed to be trained into feeling nothing. The Pet was smiling cruelly, feeling how the other boy remained limp despite the pressure applied to his loins. He was kneading Katze's buttocks in earnest, while emitting strange, guttural sounds that were making the Furniture's hair stand on end. Yet, the Pet's vocalizations seemed to be to the Master's liking, and he was encouraged to continue.

Shiv released one of Katze's buttocks to grab a handful of hair and drag the redhead into a wet kiss that made the Furniture jolt in surprise, excitement and disgust. Katze had never been kissed that way, and the only memory of a kiss he wanted to remember was from a certain Elite, that now seemed to watch the entire scene in a detached manner. He remained immobile not knowing what to do. Releasing him from the kiss for one brief second the Pet demanded impatiently:

"Touch me, too, stupid!"

Katze touched the boy's bare back, and let his hands wandered on naked skin until he reached the buttocks, which he began to caress gently. The Furniture's gentleness stood out, compared to the Pet's aggression, and both Elites were more and more enthralled with Katze's performance than with the show put on by the pleasure slave. His gestures were new and shy and had a fragrance of innocence, something that was little seen in Pets, as they were immediately trained into becoming the lewdest, most lascivious creatures.

Shiv was not too pleased, though, and he forced the redhead's hands between his legs again, almost begging to be touched there again. Katze complied, trying to be more careful this time, so that he would not incur the wrath of the capricious Pet.

The Pet put a hand on his head and started to push him towards his loins, but Katze could not understand what was wanted of him, especially since he was now bent into an almost impossible position. He was grateful, though, that at least, Shiv had broken the kiss that made his insides turn.

"Master!" Shiv pleaded again, visibly annoyed with the Furniture's performance.

"Katze, you will have to provide oral stimulation to Shiv."

Katze raised his head, blushing at the implication.

"He is really that innocent", he heard the soft comment from Lord Am, the first words he spoke from the moment Katze had entered the room that evening.

Lord Mink nodded, and turned towards Katze, to explain: "You must put your mouth around his sex and suck gently. Be careful with your teeth. And, Shiv, do not push it all in, Katze is new to this."

His cheeks in flames, and the bile rising in his throat, Katze went down on Shiv and did as instructed. The male musky scent of the boy's groins hit his nostrils, causing his head to spin. He felt aroused in a pained and empty way, while his head did not want to wrap around what was happening. In the same time, he felt like he was on the brink of vomiting, but he tried to contain it all in, without giving away too much of what he was truly feeling.

He clumsily sucked at the boy's steeled organ, and Shiv pushed, regardless of the Master's orders, making Katze gag and withdraw on instinct.

"Shiv!" the Master boomed and the Pet murmured an apology, while impatiently guiding Katze towards his manhood again.

Katze placed a hand at the base of the Pet's sex, to prevent any repeat intention at suffocating him. Surprisingly, his move made the Pet gasp in pleasure, so he started moving his hand in the same time with his mouth, hoping that it was all going to end soon.

"Can I come into his mouth, Master?" the Pet asked, through ragged breaths, and Katze, upon hearing this, tried to withdraw.

But the Master nodded in approval, and the Pet raised his hips, pushing mercilessly into the other boy's mouth, forcing him to swallow his sex up to the hilt, keeping him there with both his hands.

Katze fought the gagging sensation with all his might, tears in his eyes, allowing the Pet to release his seed into his throat. After all, what was he to do?

Shiv finally withdrew, releasing Katze's head. The Furniture withdrew even further, trying to get as far as possible from the blue haired Pet. He raised a trembling hand to swipe his mouth, only then realizing that a few droplets of semen had smeared his lips. The moisture on his cheeks had another source, though. Katze was not even conscious that he was crying without a sound. The Pet laid on his back with his eyes closed, too far gone after his sexual release, and was not watching him.

But two Elites continued staring at him, as Katze quickly wiped his tears and rose to his feet.

The Master nodded approvingly.

"You can dress and go to your room."

The redhead quickly got into his uniform, not noticing the tinge of regret in a pair of green eyes at his skin becoming covered by coarse material, meant to hide supposedly offending flesh.

He maintained his composure until the door but, once in the hallway, he ran towards his room with all his might. Once there, he threw himself on the bed, crying. He was not going to trust anybody ever again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ANK~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So, what do you think?" Iason asked, once he was again alone with Raoul.

"I expected more fighting from him, I must admit. It is impossible for him to have been involved sexually before, as Guardian does not allow such dubious activities under its roof. Yet, he seemed to comply quite dutifully."

"I get the feeling that you are slightly disappointed. Am I wrong?"

"Disappointed is too strong a word. Actually, I am quite surprised … but I think I have underestimated him. Or …" Raoul Am stopped for a brief second, seemingly focused on a thought that had suddenly occurred to him.

"Iason, may I see your Furniture right away?"

Lord Mink quirked a royal eyebrow, but he nodded. "Anything to satiate your curiosity, my friend."

"This is not about my curiosity, it is about having a sane Furniture in your service", Raoul replied, somewhat taken aback by Iason's assumption.

"As you say, Raoul. Please, do not let me keep you."

Were the First in Command's words dipped in irony? Somehow, Raoul Am did not particularly care; for now, he just wanted to find out if what he was thinking was, indeed, true. However, when reaching the door, he remembered asking:

"Do you not wish to be present?"

"Raoul, if I want something from my Furniture, I summon them. I do not visit their quarters. It is not … Blondie like. But you are a scientist, so I think bending such formalities is permitted, to some degree."

Raoul Am felt a certain wave of animosity towards his lifetime's friend rising in his gut, but he quenched it, deciding to tend to the task at hand, before anything else. Bowing politely, he exited the room.

He realized too late that he had no idea where the Furniture had their rooms, but he did not want to go back and confront Iason's haughty look and comments.

'It must be something plain and unremarkable', he thought, while trying a few doors, letting him in some sort of storage places.

His superior hearing was the one to solve his predicament. A faint sound resembling crying sobs reached his ears, while approaching the end of the hallway. He pushed the door, not even thinking about knocking. It was not a Blondie's habit to ask permission, if it was not addressed to another Elite. However, the scene unveiling before his eyes almost made him wish he had.

Curled on the bed, in a fetal position, Katze was crying his heart out. Apparently too engrossed in his own wallowing, he did not realize he had an audience.

Raoul carefully closed the door behind him and approached the Furniture's simple bed. His assumption had been correct. Katze was breaking, but he had chosen to do so away from his Master's eyes.

"Katze", he called in a soft voice, even so the boy jumped from his bed startled.

There, in his plain room, sat Raoul Am, in his fancy clothes, with a seemingly concerned look on his face.

"Yes, Lord Am. Are you in need of something?" Katze tried to sound formal, but his voice was shaking, as his hands.

"What is it? Why are you crying?" the Blondie demanded in the same tone, but the boy took a step back, almost frightened.

"Nothing, Lord Am. There is nothing", he repeated, raising his hands in defense and waving them too rapidly.

The beautiful Blondie captured the moving hands and forced them down. "There is no reprimand for this, but I must know. Tell me why you were crying when I entered the room."

Katze froze, keeping his eyes stubbornly cast down.

"Your Master will not know about this", came the promise, and the redhead raised his eyes, to meet two amazing green orbs, staring into his ambers. "It is for my own interest. I am in charge of monitoring you, so you must keep nothing from me."

That was actually a bit of a stepping on Iason Mink's territory, but Raoul Am's curiosity was too piqued to care for details for the time being.

"If you must know, Lord Am", the Furniture murmured in defeat.

So it was not because he cared. It was because it was his job, like Katze's job was to clean the cutlery, or suck off pets. He sighed, but made an effort, choosing his words carefully.

"I realized I will never get to enjoy sexual fulfillment."

That was the truth, but only part of it. He was not going to shout to Lord Am how much it had hurt to be made a fool of in front of him, or how he felt his trust had been misplaced.

Lord Am let go off his hands.

"You took time to think in order to give me an answer. It can serve to tell someone how you really feel. It takes the burden out of your chest, so you can live on. But, since this is the only thing you wish to say, let us talk about it."

"What is there to talk about?" Katze felt his rebellious streak rise against his better judgment. He was still too young to contain his fury for long. "He is whole, I am not. Sex is not something I will ever experience or get pleasure from."

A twinge of pain constricted his chest, tears threatening to wash his cheeks again. "I am still too young, damn it! Give me a little more time to not give a crap about it!"

That was more like it, Raoul Am pensively contemplated. It was normal for a teenager to feel at a loss when it came to something like this, and Katze's poorly contained fury was there to testify.

"I wanted this!" Katze continued. "I prepared for two years after leaving Guardian to not end up on the streets. I enrolled in Furniture classes right away, to put distance between myself and the slums! I strived to please, so a Blondie would want me! So I have no excuse or complaints to make! But now I see …" the boy had to stop to breathe. "I see that I was nothing but a fool!"

Although not in his job description, Raoul Am dragged the redhead towards him and embraced him paternally.

"Hush now, your position in the Mink household is coveted by all Furniture. You must be proud because your efforts were not in vain."

Surprised with Raoul's gesture, Katze relished in the warm emitted by the other's body. "What should I do, Lord Am?" he whispered between sobs.

"You will get used to it, in time. If not, nothing good will happen to you", Raoul warned in the same soft voice. "Please, Katze, get used to it."

That did not make much sense. Why was the Blondie caring if Katze was going to be a good Furniture or not?

"Pet shows are not everything about a Furniture's life. Take pride in serving your Master and you will be rewarded."

A thought crept Raoul Am's mind. "I will ask your Master to let me come and teach you. An intellect as remarkable as yours should not be left dormant, or it will be lost."

"What will you teach me, Lord Am?" Katze's tears were drying up now.

"We will see, my boy. A bit of history, I think. Some foreign languages, so you can serve our international guests. Computers, of course, as you will have to keep the accounts of this house at a certain point. I will make sure that your Master will be proud of you."

"Lord Am", Katze raised his eyes, searching the Blondie's beloved features. "Why are you doing this for me?"

The question made Raoul Am frown for a brief second. Only then he realized that, while his hands were carefully cradling Katze's back, the boy had embraced him as well. Stiffing suddenly, he let go of the boy's body and pushed Katze's hands down and away from his, as well. His gestures were not harsh, but they drove home their point, and the boy took a step back, casting his eyes down once again.

"Thank you, Lord Am. I will make sure to make my Master proud of me."

Clever, Raoul Am thought, wondering briefly of his own inability to handle an answer, without having to set boundaries between him and the young Furniture. He turned and left without a word, annoyed to have been outsmarted so easily by a little mongrel.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ANK~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So, my friend, was your curiosity satisfied with the Furniture's reactions?" Iason enquired, when Raoul returned. "I must admit that your prolonged absence piqued my curiosity, as well."

"No, it seemed that I was wrong."

Was Raoul lying to him through his teeth? Now Iason felt challenged.

"Raoul, you are treating him as special. Is it wise to give a Furniture false hopes? Sooner than you think, he will have a crush on you. That might be bad for business."

"Iason, you are exaggerating. I am just encouraging him to reach his potential as a competent servant. And, I think you will agree with me that he is, indeed, special. I must say to you that his natural intelligence must be cultivated. He must be worthy of your station, Iason, and what better way to do that than training his intellect into becoming even sharper?"

"I get the feeling that you already have plans in this direction."

"Yes. I want to teach him the basics about computers, history and some foreign languages, with your permission of course. Think how you will impress your guests, if even your Furniture will be able to address them in their own language. Plus, you always need someone to do the books for your household. Why outsource such services when you have the right tool, at your fingertips?"

"You seem quite enthusiastic about this, Raoul. Even though your interest in MY Furniture", Iason pointed out, "surprises me to no end, I will let you have your little project. But do not come to me with some melodrama alert, because I will be more than willing to pull the plug, to regain peace in my household."

"I do not understand what exactly you think it is going to happen, but I can assure you, Iason, that nothing of a dubious nature will take place under your roof. As a friend, I will watch over the peace of your household, like it is my own."

"I do not doubt your good intentions, Raoul. It is the unpredictable I fear. I know what you will teach Katze, but can we really tell, before hand, what is he going to teach you?"

"Teach me? Who? This little mongrel?" Raoul felt the need to be a little haughty, in turn.

"There is no action without reaction. You should know that, as a scientist. However, I look forward to having a well trained Furniture under your skilled hands, Raoul."

Obviously, the Master of the house had his own opinions about the subject, and he did not want to debate them any further.

"I will make sure not to disappoint you, Iason."

With a bow, Raoul bid farewell to his lifetime friend. He had a lot to think about and some syllabuses to prepare.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

After a few days of doing all the chores without protesting, Katze had managed to get back into Karl's graces. A certain animosity could still be felt, but, overall, Karl had come to terms with Katze's somewhat special status in the household. Nothing had changed in their Master's behavior towards them, so the older Furniture felt more at ease, after fearing that he would soon be replaced because of the new boy.

One thing, however, had changed. The Master had instructed that Katze was to take care more of the male Pets, as well, so Karl could have more time for the menial tasks pertaining to the large household. On the other hand, the redhead never let Karl alone when he had to deal with more work than he could handle.

"How have you managed to do all this stuff on your own before I came?" he asked the boy.

"The Master's previous home was not that large, but our great Jupiter commanded him to move in this large penthouse, or so I heard", Karl whispered. "But Master Iason does not like having too many servants around him. Nor Pets, although others comment that he should get a larger stable."

"Uhm, Karl, do you happen to know if Lord Am has many Pets?" Katze asked sheepishly, hoping the other boy would not notice his blushing.

"Oh, Lord Am has plenty of them. He always arrives at parties accompanied by the most beautiful Pets."

"Oh", Katze tried to hide his disappointment.

Karl didn't notice his predicament and continued the gossip:

"He is the one that creates them. But they never stay too much with him."

"Why is that?"

"Because he is selling them, to increase the revenues for the Syndicate. Master Iason is the patron of this business, and I hear that it is quite a productive one. But you did not hear it from me", Karl hurriedly added. "By the way, you will have to tend to Sir Shiv and Sir Tryn's bath. They can become quite nasty if you do not get their water at the right temperature."

"Ok, I'll see to it right away. And, Karl, thank you for helping me adjust, and for not being upset anymore."

"Just go", Karl ushered him, although a little smile spoke about the pleasure he felt at Katze's thanks.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ANK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Humming a chirpy tune, Katze was preparing the bath for the male Pets. Too engrossed into placing clean towels and checking the water temperature, he did not notice he had an audience.

"I am telling you, Tryn, this one is quite a cocksucker."

Upon hearing the vulgar comment, the Furniture turned only to face the two attractive males standing in the bathroom door, stark naked. He blushed and bowed immediately, to hide his embarrassment.

"Your bath is ready, Sirs. If you will excuse me …"

"Where do you think you're going?" Shiv talked again. "You must wash us, or is it too much for your peanut brain to memorize what you have to do? Can you believe Furniture these days, Tryn?"

"Maybe he needs to be trained more", the other suggested, sniggering.

Katze was hardly enduring the nasty comments, but chose to remain calm.

"Of course, Sirs. Please, forgive me. Step into the bathtub and I will take care of your needs."

"Do you hear him, Tryn? He will take care of our needs …"

Both male Pets were laughing on his account, and Katze could not do a thing about it. He remained silent, and waited for the two boys to immerse in the hot water.

"Soap us", Shiv commanded, and the redhead thought that he was the worse one between the two.

He rolled his sleeves and grabbed a bar of soap, decided to get it over with, as fast as possible.

In the meantime, Shiv had grabbed Tryn, pulled him over himself, and the two were shamelessly rubbing their bodies against one another, putting on a show for the poor Furniture.

Katze pretended not to notice and kept his eyes cast down. He gingerly touched Tryn's back, washing carefully, not daring to touch any place dangerous. The boys were now kissing, and the redhead could hardly ignore the slurping sounds, yet he tried with all his might.

Shiv parted Tryn's legs with his own, and broke the kiss only to command Katze:

"Wash his ass, I want to drill that hole." Tryn was chuckling, visibly aroused.

The timid Furniture let his hand slide between the perfectly shaped buttocks, trying to look as little as possible.

"Don't forget his balls. You don't want to be a bad Furniture, right Katze?"

"No, Sir." Katze plainly answered, trying to cover his own emotions under a mask he was barely growing accustomed to.

He touched the boy's sex and washed gently, eliciting pleasure moans from Tryn.

"He's good, Shiv, you were right" he whispered raggedly. Languidly, he turned to face Katze.

"Is Katze really your name?"

"Yes, Sir" the Furniture promptly answered.

"He is quite the looker", he commented, turning towards Shiv again. "Too bad he does not have a dick."

Shiv snorted. "Yeah, right, like the likes of him could ever become a Pet like us."

"He is not beautiful like us", Tryn tried to correct his mistake. "Just that, for Furniture, he is not exactly average."

Shiv raised a lazy hand and brushed the bangs off Katze's forehead. The Furniture flinched, unwilling to let the Pet touch him in a manner that was reserved only to a special someone.

"Touchy, are we, Katze? Tryn, he may not have a dick, but he has all the needed holes, right?"

Katze shivered at the implication.

"Take your clothes off, Furniture", Shiv commanded in a harsh unfriendly tone.

The redhead's back stiffened visibly.

"I apologize, Sir Shiv, but I do not think Master Iason would agree to me being naked with you outside a performance that he himself witnesses."

"Furnitures are only here to please us!" Shiv almost shouted. "Master Iason will have you whipped for this, if it reaches his ears. Strip!"

Somehow the redhaired Mongrel could tell the boy was lying, so he decided to resist.

"I will wash you, Sirs, now", he pretended to have not heard the command and calmly raised a soapy hand from the water to continue to wash Tryn's shoulders.

Shiv could not believe his eyes. This Furniture was more than cocky; he even pretended to have a backbone! He jumped from the bathtub and grabbed Katze by one arm, pulling him up and shaking him.

"Who do you think you are, Furniture? Tryn, come here and give me a hand with this good for nothing servant!"

Tryn got up from the bathtub as well, and Katze felt his stomach churn. He might have a chance fighting only one, but two was serious trouble.

"Maybe we should leave him alone", Tryn hesitated, throwing glances towards Katze and Shiv, back and forth.

"Are you with me or against me?" Shiv threatened the other boy, and Tryn hurried by his side.

He turned Katze around, pushing with his face against the bathroom tiles. The redhead pushed his palms against the cold surface and tensed, wanting to turn, but kept there by two strong hands against his shoulders, and two legs forcibly parting his own.

"Pull down his pants now!" Shiv hurriedly commanded, his breath ragged with anticipation.

The other boy complied without a sound, and Katze felt the hot air in the room hitting his bare buttocks. He inhaled and steadied his breath, bidding his time and the moment to act.

"Yes …" he heard the Pet. One hand was gone from his left shoulder and now forced between his buttocks. 'Bad move', Katze smiled inwardly, and used his dominant arm to quickly land an elbow right into his assailant's stomach.

Surprised with the attack, Shiv screamed, and let Katze go. The Furniture quickly raised his pants just in time to dodge a direct fist, wanting to connect with his jaw. He rapidly moved to one side and made the Pet stumble face forward from the inertia of his own actions.

"Come here, you scum!" Shiv's otherwise good looking features were now contorted by pain and anger. "Catch him, Tryn!"

The other boy tried to move towards Katze, but his more passive nature made him take a step back, when the redhead assumed a fighting stance and stared menacingly at him, through fire like bangs. The same fire was now burning in the Furniture's ambers, as well.

"Tryn, you're pathetic!"

Shiv launched another attack, missing Katze by an inch. Motivated by Shiv's insults, Tryn pushed the Furniture from the other side, taking the redhead by surprise. Katze fell on his hands, but he did not succeed to get up, as a knee hit him between his shoulder blades, knocking the air out of him. Coughing, he tried to regain his breath. A hand in his hair warned him that there would be dire consequences for his actions.

"Stupid Furniture, trying to mess with me?"

Another hand captured his arm and twisted it painfully. He would have tried to turn, but his legs were securely held by the other Pet. He tensed, despite the pain in his arm, trying to knock the two off him, but it seemed that his efforts were now in vain.

"I would have made it good for you, idiot, but now I am angry. It will hurt, I promise you this!" Shiv hissed into his ear, twisting his arm more.

No longer able to resist the pain, Katze screamed.

"What is going on here?"

Upon hearing Karl's voice, the two Pets raised their heads.

"Not your business, Karl. Get out of here if you do not want the same fate!"

Katze could barely watch Karl through tears of pain. He saw the other boy straighten his back and heard him saying:

"I apologize, Sir Shiv, but I cannot leave. Release Katze immediately, or Master Iason will hear all about this."

"Like you would dare to tell on us!" came the venomous reply.

"I dare, and I will", Karl calmly stated, and Katze could swear the other Furniture looked bigger than life in his eyes, in that very moment.

The phrase, however, was a better choice for describing the being that had now entered the Pets' bathroom.

"What is this ruckus all about?" The Master seemed angered.

"Master Iason", Karl bowed right away.

Shiv and Tryn released Katze in an instant, and the redhead tried to rise on his feet with a painful groan.

"Are you all making me wait for an answer?"

The Pets remained silent with their heads bowed. Karl motioned to open his mouth, but Katze realized the danger floating in the steamy room, so he spoke quickly:

"I stumbled and fell, Master. Forgive me for all the trouble I caused."

"Katze!" The Master's voice cut through the air. "Are you taking me for a fool?"

"No, Master. This is how it happened", he tried to convince the majestic Blondie, while trying to adjust his injured arm.

"I see. You are willing to make me squeeze the truth out of you. Come with me, right now!"

Katze limped behind the Master of the house, barely looking at Karl, who mouthed inaudibly at him 'why?' with a horrified look in his eyes.

The Master and Furniture gone, Karl snapped at the two Pets:

"Do you realize what you have done?"

Tryn avoided the Furniture's eyes with a guilty look on his face. But Shiv just had to rub it in:

"He had it coming. He is good for nothing anyways."

"He saved you! And put himself on the line!"

"Pff!" Shiv dismissed Karl. "Master Iason would never punish us, so he would have received the punishment anyways. Now dry us, please, if you do not want us to catch a cold, and not be able to perform."

Barely refraining from saying more, Karl took a towel and started to dry Shiv's back. He was really worried. What was going to happen to Katze? He had never seen Master Iason this angry.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ANK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As if walking on death row, Katze quietly followed his Master. 'Why?' Karl was right. But telling on others was not something Katze was trained to do. In a blink of a second, he had seen the two Pets cast asunder, thrown into a brothel where faceless men were touching them everywhere. Even if they had tried to rape him and beat him, such a fate was too much of a retribution, in Katze's eyes. However, sensing the anger radiating off the Blondie walking in front of him, he wondered if he had made the right choice.

"Kneel!" the Master barked at him, once the door closed behind them.

Katze obeyed without a sound. He heard the rustling of fabric, while Lord Mink was circling him, like a predator would his prey.

"So, what happened?" he asked again.

"As I told you, Master, I have nothing to add."

What was this insanity causing him to continue in such a fashion? Katze himself could not tell.

"Since you are this stubborn, I think I will have you retrained. It seems the people making you into Furniture did quite a poor job."

The cane that landed on his back made Katze gasp for air, but he willed himself not to cry out in pain.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ANK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Lord Am, what a surprise!" Karl exclaimed, seeing the guest at the door.

"Hello, Karl, is Iason home? I was said he has just entered the building."

Karl tried to avert his eyes. "Master Iason is aahhh … a little indisposed."

"Is there something wrong with him?"

Karl was growing fidgety while Lord Am continued his query.

"No, but he has an important ahh … issue to attend to."

Raoul frowned, growing suspicious at the Furniture's babbling replies. He just opened his mouth to say something, when a loud shriek cut through the apparent peaceful air of the household. He pushed Karl gently aside and headed for the door of the living room, ignoring the Furniture's protests.

"Please, Lord Am! Do not go in there!"

The obvious fear in the boy's voice only made Raoul's determination stronger. He pushed through the door, only to witness a scene that made his hair stand on end. Breathing hard, a few strands of hair aloof, in the middle of the room, stood Iason, his friend, Head of the Syndicate, a cane in his right hand, bent over what seemed a human being, curled on the floor, weeping and sobbing loudly. It did not take Raoul too much to realize who was the victim of Iason's wrath. That fiery hair, he could tell from a thousand.

"Karl, go fetch my medical kit", he calmly instructed the boy, although his insides were torn inside out. The Furniture made himself scarce, glad Lord Am covered the entire door with his impressive stature, not allowing him to see inside.

Iason turned the murderous look towards Raoul.

"Raoul, stay out of this, I am warning you!"

Ignoring his friend's threats, Raoul passed by Katze, and grabbed the Blondie's arm, still keeping the cane.

"He had enough. Whatever lesson you wanted him to learn, I think it's already imprinted in his flesh and in his mind."

"Wretched being!" Iason hissed through his teeth, but let Raoul remove the cane from his hand and place it at a safe distance.

On the floor, Katze was trembling, unable to move or do anything but sob incessantly. He was regretting now, not telling on the damn Pets on time, but also coming to Tanagura, to this place that clearly did not agree with a Mongrel such as him. From afar, he could hear his Master talk to Lord Am, and the steady tone of the latter brought a little soothing to his ears.

"What has he done, to deserve such a cruel punishment?" Raoul asked, patting his friend's forehead and checking his pulse. He was dying to give all his attention to the being curled on the carpet, but he had to tame the Blondie beast that Iason had transformed to first.

"He dared lying to me, can you believe it? Such stubbornness in a Furniture!" The last word was spat in disgust.

"So, did he tell you what you wanted to hear?"

"Of course. It seems these animals need a straightforward beating to understand where they stand in this world."

Iason's angered subduing, Raoul asked:

"Can I tend to his wounds now? If he learned his lesson, it is of no use to let any permanent damage to occur."

Letting himself drop on the sofa, Iason waved his hand.

"Do what you have to, Raoul. Although I don't see why he is worth the trouble, seeing that I don't think I want him around anymore."

Raoul threw him a slanted look.

"Your anger still speaks instead of you. Postpone any rushed decisions, please."

Iason chose to stare back, but he agreed.

"Your words are wise, my friend. Tend to his wounds, and we will see what it is to be done about him."

On cue, a soft knock on the door let Raoul know Karl was back with his medical kit. Turning towards Iason, he said:

"I will take care of him in his room. In the meantime, get some air, Iason. You look rather flushed."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ANK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A cool hand wiping his forehead and the strong smell of disinfectant made Katze open his eyes. He recognized the rich strawberry blonde mane, and the green eyes, filled with concern.

"Lord Am", he whispered, but his voice was nothing but a hoarse sound.

"Hush, you will be alright. You will fall asleep soon."

"Will Master Iason send me away?"

So he had heard.

"No. I will see to it. Sleep now."

Katze closed his eyelids, too heavy to keep them up anyway. He felt the warmth of breath on his cheek, and he almost felt like smiling. Lord Am had kissed him, while carefully tucking him in bed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ANK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Seeing Katze so badly beaten had shaken Raoul down to his core. He intended to have a word with the recalcitrant owner of the house, but he knew he had to be diplomatic about it, if he truly wanted to save Katze.

Upon entering the room where Iason was resting, he saw his friend absently watching his drink, apparently lost in thought. He carefully set next to him, briefly touching his shoulder.

"What was that all about, Iason?"

The Blondie raised his head to stare into his friend's eyes.

"Apparently, my male Pets wanted to penetrate Katze, and he put up a fight."

"Was he the victim in all this, and you punish him?" Raoul barely refrained from shouting.

"He dared lying to me, Raoul. He defied me, claiming he fell. Can you imagine?" Iason really seemed incredulous to what Katze had done. "No one, ever, defies me. The peace of this household will be held."

The determination in his friend's voice made Raoul shiver.

"He had lied to protect the others, isn't this noble of him? Rarely are such traits seen in a Furniture."

"Because they are not supposed to be there in the first place. He defied me and I punished him."

"Iason, but wasn't it too much? That arm is almost broken."

"Oh, that is not my doing. The ones he 'protected' did that to him."

"I admit that he should not be proud, but if he is capable of such loyalty …"

"I do not tolerate Furniture having loyalties against me!"

Raoul sighed. It was going to be tough. He decided to try to reach Iason from a different angle.

"How did you feel?"

"Angered. Like fire was burning through my veins."

"Is this how a Blondie should act? Or feel?"

Iason threw him a sidelong glare.

"What does the psychologist in you tells you, Raoul?"

"That you felt something you haven't felt in a while … or maybe never."

Iason smiled.

"Here you are right, Raoul. I felt … alive. Everybody is bending over backwards for me, no one dares do something or say something that is not to my liking. Even you are treading carefully around me, although you are my friend. So, just this once, since Katze has me undone for the evening anyway, please tell me to my face what you really think."

Raoul sustained the sharp look in sapphire eyes.

"I think you are ruthless."

"And I think you have too much compassion and you are throwing it out the window."

"I want you to keep Katze."

"Why?"

Raoul pondered. Since Iason was asking for a reason, it meant Katze's fate was not decided.

"Because he can grow into something more than just mere Furniture. Even tonight's events point towards this conclusion."

"Here I must admit you are right. But what if Katze, the one he will become, turns against us? Containing a dangerous creature, even knowing it is a great weapon, does it not make it unreliable?"

"That is something you will be in charge of. I will only hone his skills and exploit his intellect to the maximum. How you are going to use him, is up to you."

"Do you want him?"

The question seemed to have come out of nowhere and it startled Raoul.

"No, he is yours, Iason." A tinge of regret could be felt in his voice.

Iason smiled satisfied. At least, his owner rights were not challenged.

"He will remain."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ANK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hey, Katze", Karl gently spoke, while bringing the food tray closer to the other Furniture's bed.

"Hey, Karl", Katze responded, almost whispering, his voice still hoarse from too much screaming and crying.

"What were you thinking? Master Iason has never hit us or anyone else. You never disobey your Master. What were you taught during Furniture classes?"

"I don't know, Karl, really. I eventually still spilled the beans about the whole thing, so it was in vain anyway. Did something happen to Shiv and Tryn?"

"I heard Master Iason yelling at them, but so far there are no other consequences. They may leave you alone from now on, though. I must say I've never dreamed of seeing Shiv pissing his pants like that", Karl sniggered, making Katze force a smile, too.

"Not too much in love with Pets, either?"

"Seriously, Katze, between you and me … they are a pain in the ass."

Katze chuckled.

"I didn't know you can speak such words."

"Eh, still didn't forget where I come from. But, you, mister, mind your manners from now on. You scared me to death. Thank Jupiter Lord Am happened to come by. He saved you, you know?"

"Yes, I know", Katze spoke softly.

"Just eat", Karl commanded. "You must gain your strength back. In the meantime Master Iason will forgive you."

"I think I can do without seeing him for a few days."

"Hush, your mouth only talks blasphemy. However, Lord Am will come to check on you, so make yourself pretty."

Katze blushed.

"Why would I do that?"

"C'mon, Katze, I may be Furniture, but I'm not blind. Your crush on him is visible from outside Tanagura."

Upon hearing Karl's words, the redhead paled.

"Did everyone notice?"

"Frankly, I don't think so", Karl chirped away, happy he had a reprieve from daily chores to gossip. "Those Pets are too full of themselves to notice and Master Iason doesn't care at all about what you feel as long as you do your work properly. But me, eh, I am just Furniture, I see everything."

"And you just love to gossip", Katze whispered, glad his friend seemed to be quite easygoing about the whole thing. "But, please, don't tell anyone. Even I, in my stupidity, am aware that I should not look up to a Blondie."

Karl sniggered.

"Yeah, tell me more about your survival instinct. On the other hand", the boy spoke dreamily, "I think it is quite romantic to have a crush on someone. Plus," he continued smiling, "I was expecting you to fall for Master Iason, just like everyone else."

The look on Katze's face spoke volumes, so Karl bursted into laughter.

"Even in this, you feel the need to be special, I cannot believe it", he added. "Now, I have a house to clean, and you must eat."

"Karl", the redhead shyly asked, "do you think I'm pretty? I mean, at least ten percent of how pretty Lord Am's Pets are?"

"Pretty you are, smart you are not. You cannot compete with Pets."

Seeing the redhead pout, Karl laughed:

"Ok, ok, you are at least half as beautiful as they are."

"Really?" Katze's eyes lit up.

"Yeap, and this comes from a Furniture that has seen a whole lot of Pets in his life. But don't get your hopes up. Lord Am is still a Blondie."

Katze knew exactly what Karl meant. He was well aware of it, too. After all, he could not tell whether Raoul Am's interest in his persona was anything more than a duty towards Master Iason.

Yet, hiding under his blanket, as Karl exited his room, the Mongrel let himself dream about all the little moments Lord Am had spent with him. Taking the gloves hidden under his pillow in his hand, he caressed one cheek with them, imagining it was Lord Am touching him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ANK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"How do you feel today, Katze?"

Lord Am sat next to his bed on an armchair brought there by Karl to accommodate such an unusual guest in a Furniture quarters.

"I have seen better days, Lord Am", Katze feebly joked, happy to see Lord Am's face again.

It was almost worth falling ill, he thought, as the Blondie took his wrist to check his pulse, and then touched his forehead. Even gloved, Lord Am's hands were beautiful, Katze thought.

"It seems that you are recovering quickly if you have the energy to joke about your current predicament. Make sure that you take all this medication with food. You will suffer from stomach cramps if you do not eat before. I will instruct Karl to keep an eye on you."

It felt good to be cared for, even if only for a short while.

"Lord Am, will you still teach me about computers?"

"Nothing has changed, my boy. Iason agrees that we should do something about you, if we want to make a good Furniture out of you."

"Is … Master Iason still mad at me?" the Furniture asked shyly.

"I suppose I should say that you will see once you are back on your feet, as punishment for your reckless behavior. But your Master fully understands that it is in your nature to fail and be imperfect. We will work on that."

With that, Raoul Am closed his medical kit and stood up. Katze was watching him, his admiration unhidden, not really thinking about the words the Blondie spoke to him. So rich a mane would feel amazing wrapped around fingers, he mused.

"Is there something wrong?" Lord Am demanded.

"Nothing, Lord Am, I was just thinking."

There was something disconcerting about the boy, Raoul realized, giving credit to what Iason was saying. Not exactly Furniture like in his general behavior, and this habit of staring dreamily at someone well above his station was not to be encouraged. However, the Blondie still felt flattered somewhere deep inside by the unmasked admiration that could be read in those amber eyes. Thus he felt compelled to give a piece of advice:

"You should never let others read you so easily. As Furniture, keeping your head bowed can have its benefits." Arranging a few strands of auburn hair to partially cover half of Katze's face, Raoul continued: "A little artifice is allowed to hide what it is not to see by other's eyes."

Katze cast his eyes down in understanding. He was, indeed, not allowed to think of a Blondie in a personal manner, but the one in front of him understood that a heart could not be schooled into not feeling, without causing permanent damage; Lord Am's suggestion was welcome, even though there was no encouragement and no denial regarding Katze's feelings in the words carefully chosen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ANK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The moment Katze dreaded the most eventually came. Dressed in his uniform, his hair brushed to cover one side of his face, like Lord Am had advised when he had come last time to see him, the Mongrel was prepared to face his doom. Despite the words of comfort coming from both the other Elite and Karl, Katze was unsure about Lord Mink's intentions regarding his person. He knew he had to tread carefully from that moment onwards, if he did not want a repeat experience. The beating had been brutal, and Katze shivered thinking about facing his Master. But now he had been summoned, and he could not escape.

With a loud sigh, he entered the living room, where Iason Mink sat on the sofa, his legs crossed, and his hands neatly folded one above the other. His eyes looked right through Katze, when the boy made its appearance.

"Good evening, Master Iason", he murmured.

"I see you are well. Raoul is quite a wizard, or you are incredibly resilient. Or both", the lord of the house spoke matter-of-factly. "You are lucky that he convinced me that you are worth the trouble. You will not disappoint us again, right, Katze?"

"I live to serve, Master", Katze bowed respectfully.

"We will see about that. But now, just for the sake of understanding, why did you protect your assailants? Furnitures are never comfortable about being sexually used. Or are you an exception to the rule? Are you a masochist, Katze?"

The redhead could hardly miss the innuendo in his Master's tone. He blushed at the implications.

"No, Master."

"Then why?"

"Because it is debasing to tell on others, when you fail to protect yourself. But … I know I was wrong now, Master", the red haired quickly added, fearing to attract Iason Mink's wrath once again.

"Do I gather that you thought it was the noble thing to do?" Iason almost snorted.

"Something akin to a code of honor, yes, Master."

"A code of honor? Where from? The slums?" The disdain in Iason Mink's voice was unhidden.

Katze fell pensive for a few seconds.

"Well?" the lord of the house impatiently demanded his curiosity aroused.

"In Guardian, it was seen as almost a crime to tell on others", Katze whispered. "You could get lynched for saying something like that to our guardians."

"Quite a nest of snakes, there", Iason frowned. "I believe I must instruct the personnel there to keep a better eye on the boys. However, how could you have not thought for one moment that I would tolerate this type of behavior under my roof?"

"I apologize, Master", Katze bowed deeper. "I did not really think during those moments."

"Not really buying it, Katze. But, you are in luck. Raoul … we think that you are too intelligent to let you go to waste. You will be used and you will be of service. I hope it is obvious that you should always give me honest answers to all my questions. This time, I will overlook it, because I know exactly what is currently in your mind, and you were already punished, so we are done here on this subject. However rest assured that this leniency will not be repeated."

"Yes, Master."

"You are dismissed."

"Thank you, Master."

"And, Katze … the new hairdo. It suits you."

Nothing was missed by those sharp sapphire eyes. 'I should have known better', Katze mused, while withdrawing quietly from the room.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Since last time I was too much in a hurry, now is the right time to present my proper thanks.

Norm120, thank you for liking my story so much. It is nice to have such a dedicated reader. I hope the follow up will be to your liking.

Anon, I hope I will be able to comply to your expectations : )

QueenPen, I do think too that Katze and Raoul are an enjoyable couple, and I really want to picture them together.

SandroFL, I am so glad you like Karl so much. After all, he is mine, so it really gets me excited to see how people react to original characters, too.

Here's the new chapter!

Used and Unused – Chapter 4

Katze was terribly excited. His Master let him know that he was to be tutored today, by no one else but the exquisite Raoul Am. He had been a good boy, and even interacting with the Pets had occurred without any bad consequences. It was not like he was kept in high esteem or anything, by the murderous looks Shiv was still throwing in his direction, but the atmosphere was calm, a sign that Master Iason's warnings were not ignored by his enemies either.

Karl patted him on the shoulder, almost startling him.

"He's here", the other Furniture whispered in his ear. "Go, go!"

It did not take more to send the redhead almost flying to the living room, where the object of his secret desires was waiting for him.

Upon entering the room, he noticed how a corner of the room had been modified to accommodate what looked like a study table. And there stood Raoul Am, in all his glory, long blonde hair and everything that made Katze's nights so interesting lately.

"Good afternoon, Lord Am", he spoke first, since the Blondie seemed engrossed in some electronic reading, not noticing him.

"Hello, Katze", two emerald greens stared into his eyes. "Come here", Raoul motioned to him, "we shall start."

Disappointed that the Elite had not asked him how he had been lately, Katze sat carefully on the chair on the opposite side from Raoul's.

But, when Raoul started talking, the redhead forgot all about it. The Furniture was given a thin laptop, and he had to rapidly type all that the Blondie was saying. There was quite a lot of information, and Katze's superior intellect felt challenged. He was absorbing the information that was fed to him, like a dried sponge, as he became focused on the task at hand.

"Do you see this?" Lord Am asked him, bending a little, a few strands of hair touching Katze's hands, while pointing at a sequence of numbers on the screen.

Katze nodded, not really able to talk, while inhaling the particular scent of the dreamy creature standing now too close for comfort.

"This means you solved the problem since here", the Blondie continued while tapping the screen with a long pencil. "The rest is artifice, and I do not quite understand why you did it."

"I thought it was too simple, so I wanted to add the formulas I was taught."

"In mathematics, simple means elegant, Katze. Keep this in mind."

"Yes, Lord Am."

Mathematics lessons once finished, the Blondie began teaching him a few words in an unusual language. The words rolled from Raoul's lips with so much ease, that Katze watched in fascination. He repeated after him, carefully, not wanting to disappoint him and make him regret his decision of tutoring a mere Furniture. However, the Blondie seemed very pleased, and continued to feed new information to Katze.

It was all happening quite fast. Katze had to muster all his mental strength to keep up with the amazing being in front of his eyes. But, after six hours, he was starting to become tired, and then, his first mistake occurred.

"I apologize, Lord Am", he hurried, almost panicked.

Raoul just smiled. "It is alright, Katze. I was starting to wonder if you would ever grow tired."

"But you are not tired at all!" Katze spoke in pure amazement.

"Of course not, I am a Blondie. But you are a Mongrel, so I must admit I am quite impressed."

"Thank you, Lord Am", the boy almost shouted.

"Don't let it go to your head. It is your first day, and it is natural for you to pay more attention. I expect it to fade, and for you to become bored."

"Never, Lord Am!" Katze claimed with enthusiasm.

"We will see about that", the Blondie replied with a smile. "Go now, your Master must be thinking I am keeping you from your household tasks."

Katze rose from the chair and bowed deeply. "I thank you again, Lord Am. I hope I will not disappoint you."

"It is your Master you should not disappoint, Katze. Never forget this", Raoul warned, but his tone was still calm, almost paternal.

He touched the boy's head and patted him.

"I am glad you took my advice. Being well adjusted can help a lot in being a Furniture."

Raoul Am's words went straight to his heart. Instinctively the redhead simply took the hand caressing his head and kissed it reverently. The Blondie thought to withdraw his hand, a bit startled, but he changed his mind, letting the boy do as he pleased.

Katze took off the door, without looking behind. If he had, he would have seen the mix of curiosity, interest and something else in Raoul Am's eyes while watching him leave.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ANK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Raoul Am was touching his hand pensively, when his friend entered the room.

"So, how did it go?" Iason asked, curiosity barely masked, something rarely seen in the Head of the Syndicate.

"I am really amazed with Katze's capabilities, Iason. His mind is a machine", Raoul expressed his enthusiasm, instantly giving up on inspecting his gloved hand for signs of something that was no longer there. "He learned today what I thought would take two weeks time. I think your Furniture will challenge me in finding more to teach him."

Iason smiled, pride filling his heart. "Well, this means only one thing. That he is not my Furniture for nothing. Thank you, my friend, for not letting me send him to recycling. When do you think he will be ready for the first real time test?"

"His proficiency in learning foreign languages is out of this world. If I focus on this, he will be ready by this weekend. Of course, he will only be capable to take orders and commands, and respond in kind, but it would be a good impression that we will provide for our guests from Daars, don't you think?"

"This weekend will be quite busy."

"Oh, yes, Lady Madeleine will be finally paired", Raoul stated.

"Your choice is more than pleasing, Raoul. Having Lord Aisha's prized Pet as Madeleine's pair is certain to lead to outstanding results. I will make sure that the ceremony will be worthy of the occasion."

"Your household will be involved, and so will your Furnitures. This means that it is more than necessity for Katze to be prepared."

"I will leave things to you, my friend. I am confident in your skills. I do have one question, though, Raoul. What did our little Mongrel teach you so far?"

Raoul did not seem fazed by Iason's question. After all, their conversation about the controversy that might surround Katze's tutoring at some point was still fresh in his mind.

"That intelligence is not limited by status, Iason", he responded, while staring into his friend's eyes.

"So do I gather that Katze is as intelligent as us?" Iason snorted. "I find that hard to believe."

"Maybe he is", Raoul stiffened. "He was not given the same opportunities as us, so being capable of so much is really outstanding. Who knows where he would have been, given the chance of a more favorable birth?"

"One small tutoring session with Katze, and you wish to change the social system on Amoi", Iason joked wryly.

"Don't talk nonsense", Raoul frowned. "He is just one, among many Mongrels that can barely be made into Furniture. I am not challenging the ways Jupiter drew for us, rest assured, Iason. I am just commenting on his particular capabilities, that is all."

"Of course, Raoul. It is simply fun to tease you, once in a while. Take care of our little redhead, and I will be more than obliged to you."

Raoul smiled. "Always a game with you, Iason. I especially notice that you find pleasure in indulging in this teasing when it is about my interest in Katze. Do you mind if I ask why?"

Iason chuckled. "Something tells me you don't really want to know my answer to this question."

"Seriously, Iason."

"Well, I think you are walking a very thin line. The devil drags you under …"

Raoul quirked a perfectly shaped eyebrow. "Do you really think I am in some kind of danger, because of my closeness to your Furniture? What kind of danger?"

"Oh, if I were an artist – which I am not – I would say that it is about the sweetest kind of danger. But, here on Amoi, it could mean the downfall of a Blondie. Keep your eyes open, Raoul, and especially in your dealings with Katze. I will not allow you to fall because of a mere Furniture. He is simply not worth the trouble, no matter how intelligent he is. Between you and him, I think it is more than obvious who I would choose to save."

"Save me? Even against my will?" Raoul murmured, understanding quite clearly the words that were not spoken.

"Yes, even against your will. I cannot afford losing you", Iason closed the distance between them and placed a hand on the other Blondie's shoulder.

"Because of my expertise as a Blondie?" Raoul almost brushed the hand holding his shoulder in place, an inkling of anger simmering in the background of his mind.

Iason looked straight at him. "I will not deny your usefulness for our Organization, Raoul. But mostly, my reasons pertain to my friendship with you. You are not willing to leave me alone, here, among the wolves, are you?"

Somehow, Raoul felt manipulated. "Don't worry, Iason. You have my word that nothing will happen. And please, do not use your tricks on me, I know you too well."

Iason frowned in thought and withdrew his hand. "Forgive me, my friend. But I still think that I would feel your absence more than any other being on this planet."

"I will not leave your side, Iason. Spending so much time among sleazy politicians, you tend to become paranoid and see conspiracies at every corner. Suspecting poor Katze of anything is too much. He will not snatch the powers from our hands, or anything like that."

"He may snatch other … things", Iason added, suggestively watching Raoul through his eyelashes.

Raoul shrugged it off. "Again, don't worry, Iason, you are thinking too much about this. I will make sure Katze will be ready for the big events this weekend. And you, have a little rest, you must be tired if such thoughts are inhabiting your mind."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ANK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The entire Mink household was in turmoil. Katze and Karl were busy arranging Lady Madeleine's dress, which, as usual, was on the brink of shedding more tears.

"Stop crying, please, Lady Madeleine", Karl begged.

Katze came to the rescue. "Your makeup will be ruined."

His words hit right home, as Madeleine's beautiful green eyes flashed at him in anger, but stopped crying as on cue.

"Go help Sir Shiv and Sir Tryn, Katze, I will help Lady Madeleine here", Karl ushered him, not wanting the day ruined because of the female Pet and her eternal need to torment the redhead Furniture.

Katze was not that crazy about attending to the male Pets' needs, but he complied, as avoiding another storm was more important than his personal animosities.

As expected, the two beautiful boys were not even half dressed.

"Sirs, please, we have to be ready in one hour", Katze demanded in a tone that did not hold much resemblance to what a Furniture should have sounded like.

He turned and took Tryn's outfit from the bed, where Karl had let it an hour before. He had to admit that the clothes were much too revealing, but it was mandatory for Pets to be more than pleasing and appealing, especially when guests from other planets were coming to visit.

Resting on an armchair, with a leg dangling in the air, Shiv was watching Katze's moves through his eyelashes. Something akin to anger mixed with hunger could be read in his eyes, but the redhead had his back turned, so he did not see the warning signs.

Glad he managed to get Tryn into his clothes, Katze turned towards the other Pet, cursing inwardly that he was still required to interact with a person he now considered a personal enemy.

Shiv rose from the armchair with languid moves and let Katze dress him. While the Furniture was going about his task, he let his hands hover over the lithe figure, and eventually found purchase in touching the other boy's buttocks.

Katze stiffened and straighten up right away, but Shiv kept him in place, by taking a firm hold of his ass. The Pet sniffed his neck and whispered into his ear: "Haven't had you helping me perform in a while, Katze. How long are you going to make me wait?"

The redhead felt repulsed at the so called seduction. Keeping himself calm he replied: "Master Iason is the one that decides such things. Now, if you please, Sir Shiv, I must brush your hair."

Instead of letting Katze go, Shiv brought the other boy closer, touching his entire body with his, from head to toe. "I will have you, Katze. Rest assured, no ass in Tanagura I have ever wanted has resisted me in the end. You will fall, too."

Katze was frozen in the embrace, and the Pet did not miss it. "You may be act all frigid now, but, once you loosen up, it will be a pleasure."

The Pet kissed his cheek then released him. "Now hurry with your task, Furniture" he added, louder this time.

Once the male Pets dressed and prepared for the big occasion, Katze gladly left the room.

"What was that all about?" Tryn asked, hurrying by Shiv's side.

"I will take care of Katze tonight."

"Take care? How?"

"The way I know best", the blue haired Pet added, moving his hips suggestively.

"Shiv, no, Master Iason will be furious!"

"Not if he does not find out."

"C'mon, Katze will tell him that you forced him."

"Who's talking about using force here?" Shiv asked like he was surprised. "Katze will be all willing, and, once I am done with him, he will not have the nerve to tell Master Iason that he spread his legs for me."

Tryn shivered. It was not the first time that Shiv was getting his hands dirty. He decided that he did not want to know anything more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ANK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Impressive alabaster colonnades guarded the entrance to the ballroom where the ceremony was to take place. A large lacquered door opened without a sound to allow the guests inside. Katze was looking everywhere, not wanting to miss a thing.

"So this is what a ballroom in Tanagura looks like!" Katze exclaimed all excited, nudging Karl in the ribs.

"It gets boring in time", Karl pretended to be all knowingly. "And stop hitting my ribs, you will leave me bruises."

"Oh, sorry, Karl. Everybody here looks so glamorous. Our Master stands out even more than Lady Madeleine, although this is supposed to be her special day."

"Master Iason is always the most beautiful", Karl boasted. "He is the patron of all important events on Amoi. Now hurry, go serve the guests from Daars, and show them what you learned from Lord Am."

Lord Am was nowhere to be seen no matter how many times Katze searched the ballroom. Luckily, the redhead did not have enough time to feel disappointed, since he had to serve the guests and run all over the place. He took the food tray from his friend's hands and headed for the table where the international guests were seated.

Approaching the one that seem to be their representative, Katze bowed and offered the tray to the guest. He said in a clean Daars accent: "Welcome to Amoi. Our Masters are most honored to have you here."

The man turned to Katze, looking rather surprised. "You speak our language. I didn't know even the servants on this planet are capable of handling intergalactic affairs."

"I am nothing but your humble servant, Sir. My Master had me instructed in learning your language especially for this occasion, so you would feel welcome on Amoi."

"The patron of this event has exquisite taste, I must admit", the Daars guest added, measuring Katze from head to toe.

The redhead murmured words of thanks and asked permission to continue to serve the other guests at the table.

Soon, Katze became quite the sensation. His ability to offer guests explanations on the dishes served, and in their own language, caused quite a ruckus, and the redhead started to feel uncomfortable, sensing he was becoming a point of attraction, instead of being a simple Furniture, whose main purpose was to be invisible at such events, while providing all the needed services.

"His accent is so clean!" one guest remarked.

"He must be very clever. There are plenty of diplomats that do not manage to speak like this even after one year spent on our planet", another expressing his amazement at Katze's skills.

"Not to mention his physical beauty", a third whispered, but the words still reached the boy's ears, making him blush.

"Too bad he is what they call a Furniture", the first talked again.

"Furniture? What is that?" the third asked, curiosity unhidden in his voice.

"It means he is a castrate. Since Furniture take care of pleasure slaves, here, on Amoi, they must be spayed, so they do not pair with Pets."

"Really? What a shame! The poor boy!"

Definitely, Katze was not enjoying the attention. Plus, what had Raoul Am thought teaching him so many words in these people's language? He would have been spared some unwanted details his ears now had to endure.

"I hope our guests are well accommodated", Iason Mink's powerful voice could be heard.

'Of course the Master speaks these people's language', Katze mused.

"Lord Mink", the representative raised from his chair, followed by all the others. "We thank you very much for your warm welcoming. I must say that hearing our dear language even from the mouth of a Furniture made us feel more than welcome on your planet. I hope our relationships will be even more productive from now on."

Lord Mink bowed his head almost imperceptibly. His eyes hovered over Katze, for a single second, but it was clear to the redhead that his Master was more than pleased with his performance.

He withdrew, letting the guests enjoy their dinner, as other Furniture hurried to fawn over them. He was expected to attend to Lady's Madeleine ceremony, so he had to be present by her side as soon as possible.

It was then the moment he had anticipated finally occurred. Lord Raoul Am made his entrance, being fashionably late. It would not have been from the ruckus caused by his appearance, Katze might have missed it. The disruption in the social pleasantries exchanged all over the place was not only due to Raoul Am's beauty and status. Two beautiful girls, dressed in scanty clothes guarded his sides, and Katze felt his breath hitched in his chest when he took a longer look at them. One had rich violet hair, descending in waves until almost touching her toes, while the other had white hair, matching her large, alien like eyes. The olive skin of the first contrasted beautifully with the almost translucent skin of the latter, sex appeal and purity mixed in the pair in a manner that made all heads turn. Lord Am stopped a few times to exchange a few words with other Elites, but he did not stop until he reached Iason Mink. He bent slightly and talked briefly with the patron of the event, then nodded quickly and disappeared from Katze's view, much to his disappointment.

"What are you doing? Daydreaming?" Karl hurried him. "Lady Madeleine is waiting, and she is not in a good mood."

"What's new?" Katze waved his hand, somewhat annoyed.

Karl eyed him suspiciously.

"What's with you?"

"Nothing", Katze sighed, but when the other boy caught his hand, he added: "I've just seen Lord Am and he was with two beautiful Pets."

"And? Didn't I tell you he always has the best? And the two Pets coming here at the party with him mean only that a very productive deal will be closed tonight in favor of the Syndicate."

"Yeah, alright", Katze admitted, but the gloom on his face didn't go away.

"You are so foolish. Let's go, Master Iason will have our heads for not being able to have Lady Madeleine prepared in time."

"You're right, Karl. Let's get to it, after all there is not much I can do about this, anyway, can I?"

Karl nodded, while dragging Katze impatiently after him.

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In the meantime, Shiv was on a very particular mission. He had managed to sneak into the kitchen reserved to Furniture needs, with one purpose on his mind. He had noticed plenty of times how much the Furniture in the Mink household indulged in sipping that fowl bitter drink they called coffee. He also noticed Karl giving Katze the container containing the powder, so they could have it with them during the party, seeing that Furniture had to run up and down and all over the place the entire night. He knew that at the moment, all Furnitures were busy preparing the two Pets that were to be paired that evening, so he took advantage of the situation to get into the kitchen and make his plans happen.

He quickly checked the different containers arranged on the counter, but the one he looked for was not there. Frustrated, he kicked its door, which opened with a swish, revealing where Katze had stashed away his and Karl's secret potion.

"Yes", Shiv whispered, and quickly opened the recipient and mixed into it the contents of a sip he had brought along. Afterwards, he quickly closed it back and placed it back where it had been.

"Will it work?" Tryn had asked him. "Furnitures do not have sexual needs."

"I don't want him to get it up since he does not have one", Shiv had laughed. "But he will become more pliant and this is all that I need to make him part his legs."

"But what about Karl?" Tryn had asked again, somewhat alarmed.

"I expect some collateral damage, but I don't really care. Karl will have to figure this on his own, if it happens."

Shiv whistled happily. It was all set, now he only had to wait for Katze to drink the damn liquid and wait for the results. He was not sure about its effects on Furniture, but he had not thought about it too much. The moment he had had his hands on it, he had only thought about turning the tables on Katze. The fact that the Furniture had resisted him had only made his blood boil, and he wanted nothing more than to humiliate the redhead, to make him beg at his feet. Did he fear the consequences? Not really, since he thought that a compliant Katze would never dare tell Master Iason that he had taken it in the ass begging for it. Shiv grinned. It was going to be a great night.

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Fawning over Lady Madeleine, like the other Furnitures, was not exactly Katze's thing, but he was helping arrange the dress, so that the girl would look perfect at the ceremony.

"Is everything set?"

Upon hearing the well known voice of Raoul Am, Katze raised his head, barely suppressing a jolt. The Elite examined the girl, as the Furnitures bowed respectfully. Katze bowed like the rest, regretting he had to avoid gazing directly at Lord Am. During lessons, the Blondie was becoming quite distant, although still remaining benevolent and answering all of Katze's questions. However, Lord Am no longer touched him, nor asked him personal questions, and the redhead had begun to feel his young heart sinking. A change in the Elite's attitude had taken place, and Katze could not say why. He had searched for a good moment to ask the Blondie if he had done something inappropriate, but such a moment had not occurred during the last days. He had hoped that the ceremony would be a good occasion to talk to Lord Am in a more informal manner, but, right now, he was discovering that the Elite was even further away from him.

Lord Am offered his arm to the young girl that sheepishly took it, feigning innocence. 'Bitch', Katze could not help thinking inwardly, jealously following the two through his fiery bangs. The rest of the cortege was already waiting at the door and all the Furnitures remained behind, longingly looking after them.

"Well, at least our work here is done", Karl concluded, making all the others suddenly wake up from their regretful stupor. "We have guests to please, so get to work, boys!" he instructed and the Furnitures disappeared quickly from the room.

"You know how to deal with people, don't you, Karl?" Katze asked him, seeing the others quickly attending to their tasks.

"I am Lord Mink's Furniture", Karl said with pride in his voice. "And so are you, Katze. So let's not disappoint our guests, and show them how the Elites know to party here, on Amoi."

Katze smiled. It was good to be around the other boy. He was good natured and he never hurt others. In Karl, he had found a friend.

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It was a little past midnight, when Karl sent Katze to brew their magic potion so they could stay awake. Dancing around the kitchen, Katze took the coffee container from its secret place and started preparing it. Once done, he took a sip and satisfied, poured himself a large cup. He carefully poured another one for Karl, adding a bit of milk and honey, just how his friend liked it. There were little and few, pleasures a Furniture had, so he and Karl loved to indulge in this particular vice, especially when no one was watching. He knew that his Master and even Lord Am loved to drink the same dark liquid, but he was never to touch the superior blend from which he had to brew the special beverage for the Elites. The one drunken by Karl and him was inferior in taste, but it was ok seeing that they were allowed to have it, at least once in a while.

Humming happily, he took the cup and hurried towards the large ballroom, where he was sure Karl was already waiting. He had taken only a few steps, when a flush of heat crossed his belly. 'I must have drunken it too hot', he thought and continued. The heat, however, seemed to be spreading towards his limbs and especially his loins, and not receding one bit.

He tried to maintain his steady gait, but it was becoming more and more difficult to walk straight. He almost stumbled over someone, and when he looked up, he saw no other than Raoul Am.

"Katze", the Elite greeted in a kind voice. "I have heard that you made quite an impression on our guests from Daars. What do you have here? Coffee? What opportune timing, I really wanted some."

Katze was taken by surprise by the Elite's move, which took one of the cups from his hands with great ease.

"Lord Am, it was for Karl!"

"What? You are going to deny me the pleasure of drinking your coffee because you made it for Karl?" Raoul chided in a playful manner.

"No, of course not", Katze bowed with difficulty. "It is just that this coffee is not worthy of an Elite, Lord Am. I would gladly make another for you, one that will not insult your taste."

"Nonsense!" Raoul brushed it aside, taking a long sip and releasing a satisfied sigh. "You surely know how to make coffee, my boy. Katze!"

The redhead had fallen to his knees, pressing a hand on his belly, and sweating profusely.

"What is wrong?" The Elite hurried by his side. "Did you eat too much?" He touched the boy's forehead. "You're burning! Let's take a look at you!"

The Blondie helped him get up and supported him by grabbing his waist with a powerful arm.

"Can you walk? I will take you to a bed right away and take a look at you", Lord Am spoke rapidly.

Katze nodded, but after a few steps, he felt his knees giving in. Impatiently, the Elite raised him in his arms, and, in a large stride, he headed for one of the rooms in the Elite wing.

Behind them, guarded by the darkness, Shiv was cursing inwardly. "Damn! What is Lord Am doing here?" Carefully, he treaded to the place where the cups of coffee had been left on the floor. He took them away, decided to at least clean his traces. Frustration, however, was too small a word to describe what he was feeling.

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"Are you in pain?" the Elite asked him, while taking a bit of blood from one of the Mongrel's digits, and placing it in the small test kit he was always carrying around with him.

"Not … really", Katze managed to answer, although he felt more and more that the source of his discomfort was of a different nature. The fire was now burning in his loins more than everywhere else, as well as in his chest. It felt almost like a hard on, but one emptier, yet more intense than anything else Katze had ever experienced in his life. "It does not hurt … but it burns here", he pressed his hands over his chest, not daring to point to the Elite the other part of his body that was right now in flames. His muscles, on the other hand, felt incredibly relaxed. He almost felt like giggling, so he covered his mouth with his hands, trying to suppress it and not insult the concerned Blondie, standing way too close to him.

Raoul Am checked the test and frowned.

"Katze, have you eaten something from the Pets' table?"

"No, … Lord Am, I would not dare …"

"Tell me the truth and there will be no repercussions."

The Elite looked deadly serious and Katze blinked, trying to regain his focus. "No, Lord Am, I am telling you the truth!"

A jolt of something akin to pleasure flashed through his body and he unconsciously grabbed the Blondie's lapel, releasing a small moan. He froze realizing how he must have sounded like, especially since Lord Am was eyeing him suspiciously.

He let go of the other's garments, fearing the consequences. "I am so sorry, Lord Am! I can … no longer control my body", Katze complained, while curling on the bed, and trying to get as far away as possible from the majestic being.

Lord Am eased his collar, as he too started to react to the drug. "This room is too warm", he concluded and rose to open the window. He inhaled the clean scent of midnight and turned towards the form on the bed.

The cold breeze that hit Katze's skin did not succeed in easing his predicament. Touching the silky bedcover with his face and his hands only caused the redhead to want to touch more, not really caring he was putting on a show for the other person in the room.

His hair in disarray, his face flushed and his eyes glazed with what Raoul Am recognized as lust, Katze looked like an exotic animal, squirming on the king size bed. But what was fazing the Elite even more was his body's reactions to what was happening in front of his eyes. An inkling of lust was also starting to make his blood boil. Frowning, he took off his adorned coat, and opened a few buttons to his shirt. Curious to his own reactions, he took another small syringe from the kit and took his own sample. Barely refraining from turning his attention to the creature moaning and undulating on the bed, he stared at the sample, not wanting to believe.

"Katze, what have you given me?" He asked, trying hard to remain calm, but the boy still sensed his anger and tensed.

"Nothing, Lord Am, you just took that coffee from my hands …" the boy whispered, while trying to get close to the wall, away from the Blondie.

What motivated Raoul to pounce on the bed, and grab the boy's hands and shake him, was hard to tell. The blood pounded in his ears, and his heart was beating in his chest.

"If you are playing any games, you will be punished", he threatened, and Katze released a small cry.

"It hurts, Lord Am … I didn't do anything … Am I poisoned? Did … I poison you with that coffee?"

Panic could clearly be heard in the Furniture's voice and he seemed to be telling the truth. Yet, Raoul did not feel like letting him go, although he eased his grip a little bit.

"No, but it seems we are both under the effect of a very powerful aphrodisiac", he whispered, barely containing his breath from becoming ragged.

"Aphrodisiac?" Katze asked flabbergasted. "But I am not supposed to feel …"

"You are not a castrate", Raoul almost shouted. "You are only nullified, your body still produces sexual hormones ..."

'That would explain a few things', Katze mused through the haze of lust, briefly remembering how he was feeling each time he sensed the particular scent of the Blondie, or even seeing the household Pets' nudity.

"Do … you … have an antidote?" he asked breathily, hoping the Elite had something to make the situation better.

"Antidote?" Raoul Am echoed, unfocused. His eyes were glued to the boy's moist lips, nervously licked from time to time by a perfectly pink tongue. "No, I don't. We will have to let the effect wear off."

"How long … ?" Katze tried to find the words, but failed, inhaling more of the Blondie's skin smell, and feeling his head spin.

"A couple of hours, optimistically speaking", Raoul Am whispered, his breath ghosting over Katze's face, making the boy shiver.

"That is too long …"

"Unless we make the effect go away …"

"Go away? How …?"

Raoul Am bent over the boy's lithe form and Katze raised his eyes. The Elite brought his lips close to his and he was almost breathing into his mouth, so the redhead automatically opened it, willing to capture the air breathed by Raoul Am and make it his.

The Blondie released him forcefully and rose from the bed, seemingly angered.

"Lord Am?" Katze asked tentatively.

"Stay away, Katze!" Raoul warned, trying to regain his composure. He was breathing heavily, and the redhead then noticed the visible bulge in front of the Elite's pants. His eyes grew wide. Lord Am was aroused!

He dragged himself on the edge of the bed. He pulled his words out of his mind with great difficulty.

"Lord Am, I could take care of … that."

The Elite stared back at him in anger. Katze decided to explain more, so he could avoid the Blondie's wrath.

"It is my job, anyway … with Pets. If you do not go back to the party, others will notice and they will come for you. I can pretend I took a long break and I will not mind when I will be scolded."

Despite the haze of lust covering both their minds, Katze seemed to have more of his head on his shoulders. Nodding, the Elite closed the distance between them and positioned himself in front of the Furniture, trying to avoid looking down, just staring at an invisible point on the wall. With feeble hands, Katze managed to unzip Lord Am's silk pants and lowered them, so he could have access to the underwear. Carefully peeling the layers of clothing from the Blondie's skin, the redhead breathed in the different scent radiating from the Elite's loins. It was a musky, manly smell that made the redhaired's head spin.

"No need for artifices, Katze", Raoul Am spoke rapidly. "Just do what you must." It was, after all, nothing else, but a hygienic matter that the redhead had to take care of.

Katze nodded, and felt a warm hand being placed on his head. He grabbed the needy organ popping in his face from the base, touching furtively the globes already rising their sac, which earned him a strangled moan from the Elite being pleasured by the servant. He clapped his lips on the head and sucked in gently. His ministrations were not ignored by the owner of said organ, as the hand on his head grabbed a fistful of hair, hurrying Katze. The boy felt the organ almost burning in his mouth, only then realizing how tough it must have been on the Elite to experience something that the Blondies showed no sign of ever.

Raoul Am could hardly breathe. He was doing something strictly forbidden and with a Furniture! How easy he had acquiesced to the boy's proposition of satisfying him with his mouth! It hit Raoul with a clarity that made him wince; he had wanted this, from the first time he had seen the boy sucking off Iason's bluehaired Pet, although he had chased the secret sinful wish to the corners of his mind, where it was supposed to remain under lock forever. Now, that sinful gorgeous mouth was wrapped around his sex, working hard towards bringing him to climax, something he had considered doing, by his own hands, only when he had been very young. Furtively he thought that there must have been a reason why Jupiter did not allow Blondies to pair, like Pets or Mongrels, something more than their superior station. However, the thought dissipated, while Katze was carefully swallowing his organ up to the hilt, trying to produce more pleasure. Whether the redhead was skilled or not, he could not tell, since he did not dare looking down, but the sensations he was experiencing were so intense that he was starting to feel his knees giving up. A sidelong glance towards the boy made Raoul change his mind.

The hand he kept in the boy's hair stilled, bringing tears to Katze's eyes and making him wince in pain. The Furniture let go reluctantly of the penis he was sucking on and carefully raised his eyes. Above him, Raoul Am's beautiful emeralds were burning.

"Lord Am …"

The Blondie bent to his level, searching his ambers. "For what is worth, I am really sorry, Katze."

The redhead wanted to open his mouth to ask 'for what?', but his lips were captured in a maddening kiss and he forgot about everything.

Everything was different. The Elite had the moves of a predator, while climbing the bed, and pushing Katze further on the silky sheets. His lips showed no intention of letting go of Katze's, and the redhead felt a tongue exploring the crevices of his mouth with a mix of hunger, lust and curiosity. It was so much more than in his dreams, so he opened his mouth more to receive the assault, and caressed the Elite's tongue with his own, something that elicited a satisfied moan from the other.

In the meantime, a deft hand pushed away Katze's buttons, undressing him of his sexless attire. The redhead let out a small cry, when the same hand pushed down the waistband of his pants, dragging them down, leaving him completely naked. In the same time, the redhead could feel his skin poked everywhere by a steeled organ that showed no intention to back down.

He was not regretting this. Maybe tomorrow things would go to shit, but right now, the man Katze wanted now wanted him, and it was all that mattered.

The Blondie bent again, capturing his lips in another kiss. Raoul could feel his own taste, still lingering in the boy's mouth, along with the fresh aroma of Katze's lips. The dangerous mix ignited his desire even more, and the Blondie forgot all of his regrets. There were only two people in the room, and they were not going to tell.

"Don't you undress, Lord Am?" Katze asked in a breathy tone, reluctantly breaking the kiss. "Your clothes will get wrinkles, if you don't."

Raoul had to admire the Furniture's dedication to serve, but he uttered a displeased sound, letting the other know he was not in the mood to be preached about such trifle things. However, he rapidly took off his shirt, and, helped by Katze's eager hands, he got rid of the pants as well. Using his teeth, he took off his gloves, and began touching the pliant skin slightly shivering under his caress.

Not wanting to delay more, Katze boldly dragged the Blondie over his body, making them connecting at the hip. Raoul was kissing him in earnest, not wanting to let go or even let the redhead breathe, his need way past the point of no return. He pushed his manhood into Katze's limp organ, loving the friction, although slightly annoyed by the lack of responsiveness that was supposed to be there. Tentatively, he grabbed the boy's buttocks and searched for the place he knew was more in need of stimulation than anything else.

A single digit penetrated Katze, and the boy arched his back in surprise and sudden discomfort. However, the curious digit pushed until finding purchase in the little knob of flesh that, once touched, sent a wave of pleasure through Katze's spine.

Raoul Am let go of the kiss. "This is going to hurt a lot. We need lubrication", he stated plainly, but Katze understood what he meant. He pushed himself more under the Elite and parted his legs, circling Raoul's midsection. The Blondie grunted.

"Not helping …" he warned, and used a hand to rummage through the contents of the drawer next to the bed, until he found some kind of cream.

"It is barely suitable, but this is all we have", he whispered.

Katze placed his hand on Raoul's that held the cream. "Allow me, Lord Am. I do not want to dirty you more than needed."

Even under the circumstances, the Furniture still tried to show that he knew his place. It almost hurt Raoul to hear the words, but he allowed the boy to prepare himself. However, noticing the boy's precise movements, he asked: "Did you do this already, Katze? With someone else?"

He hoped his jealousy was not obvious in his voice, although it almost trembled.

"No, Lord Am. But I prepared my Master's Pets many times, so I know how it is done."

Raoul almost released a sigh of relief, but he refrained. This was not about satisfying his or the Furniture's needs for romance and illusions of first love.

"You can go in now, Lord Am", Katze whispered, wondering at the sudden changes in attitude Raoul Am seemed to go through. He bit his lip, wishing inwardly that the Elite was not going to refuse him now.

The Blondie positioned himself between the boy's legs and inhaled deeply. He knew that there was no turning back once he would be inside the compliant body, but he went on. He pushed inside, clenching his teeth because of the delicious tightness found there. Katze almost screamed, and Raoul stilled, not wanting to break him.

"Are you alright?" he whispered, sweat gathering on his forehead, because he was fighting with all his might against his desire to push in further.

Katze nodded, although it was a lie. He felt like he was split in two, and he was a breath away from telling Lord Am to stop. The Blondie, however, showed consideration for his discomfort, and descended little by little into his body, until Katze could feel the hot appendice pulsating inside him. Raoul kissed him again, murmuring an apology, and withdrew a little, and pushed again. Katze prepared for the pain, but the sensation was now lessened, and the angle of the push made Raoul's steeled organ brush over the secret place buried inside the boy's body, sending a sudden jolt of pleasure through him. The redhead moaned, and grabbed the Elite's rich strands of hair, encouraging him to repeat the performance. Raoul complied and push again, and again, faster and faster, his moves in resonance with Katze's pleasure moans and grunts.

It did not take Katze long to discover that his pleasure could not get much higher. He was kept there, while tears were flowing freely on his cheeks.

"It is not like the real thing, but you will be relieved soon", he heard Lord Am through the haze of his sensations.

Raoul pushed deeper, like that was even possible, and Katze's eyes almost rolled in his head. The sensation ripped through him like a wave, then receded, leaving him limp and incapable of moving.

Feeling the boy relax in his arms, the Blondie acted on cue and increased the rhythm of his thrusts. He was conscious of the fact that he was using Katze as a simple recipient of his lust, but even he, a Blondie, could not fight the empowering, all conquering sensation, dragging him further, until he reached his own climax, and spent inside the boy's body.

It took him a few moments to realize that he was almost crushing Katze, and he withdrew from him. The popping sound made him wince in realization of the vulgar act he had been a part of. Katze's eyes looked dreamily at him, despite the awkwardness of the situation, and Raoul quickly drew the line.

"This only happened because of the aphrodisiac", he stated plainly, while staring at the ceiling, but still breathing heavily.

It was good that his eyes were not turned towards Katze, as they might have been persuaded to reconsider. The pain and devastation that the boy's face reflected for a blink of a second disappeared as quickly as they appeared, and the now well learned Furniture mask fell into place.

"Yes, Lord Am. Rest assured that I will never reveal what happened here to anyone. Not even to Master Iason. I am going to prepare your bath now. You must return to the party as soon as possible."

Katze seemed to know exactly what to say, but Raoul felt suddenly gripped by anger. He expected the boy to plead and cry, at least to be confused, seeing what had just happened between them moments before. However, the redhead showed that he had learned how to maintain his composure, even under such dire consequences.

He watched the boy's silhouette disappearing behind the bathroom door.

"Furniture", he whispered. A tinge of regret could be read in his tone, but Katze was too far to hear it.

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Dressed up and ready to go, Raoul Am turned towards Katze.

"I am going to investigate what happened. Such things are not to be tolerated."

Katze bowed respectfully, not daring to look at the Blondie too much. "I can do this on your behalf, Lord Am. Your position must not be endangered. I, however, can learn much more about who could access the Furnitures' kitchen, and find the culprit. Please allow me to perform this service for you."

"Clever", Raoul commented. He almost raised his hand to pat the boy on his head, but he refrained. It was not appropriate, especially after the intimate moments spent between them. He was not sure if he was not going to simply embrace the boy and kiss him. Now Iason's words were hitting home perfectly; Katze was indeed dangerous, despite his station. It was his duty, as an Elite, to put things in order, and everyone, Blondie and Furniture, had their places. "Do that, Katze, and let me know what you find out."

Katze remained bowed, until Lord Am left the room. Once the door was closed behind the Elite, he fell on the bed and allowed himself to cry without a sound.


	5. Chapter 5

Wow, so nice reviews … you guys are great!

Norm120 – I like it where your mind takes you, I wish I had that idea ! ;)

missmotoko – thank you for all your reviews, I appreciate all of them! You were right about Katze not being that traumatized, wink, wink

SandroFL – I haven't thought of Katze that way in that scene … but looking at him through your eyes makes a lot of sense!

DrewX – thank you for your encouragement!

Angel Writes – wow, this must be the longest review I've ever received on a story (I got a really long one once, but it was on a complete story); although I do not want to press anyone into leaving a review, reading such insightful comments really makes my day as a wannabe writer (I guess we are all suckers for reviews, after all, I must admit it); it is not every day that I read comments that are so well documented, so to speak; your review makes me see my own writing in a new light and it is truly exciting; thank you, thank you, thank you!

Everyone, here is the new chapter!

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There was something going on. Iason could tell, just by looking at things. Raoul seemed to be more formal than needed towards his redhead Furniture, so he could not suppress his need to tease.

"Finally taking my advice, Raoul?"

"What advice?" the other Blondie pretended to be unknowingly of what his friend was talking about.

"Regarding Katze, of course. I see you no longer waste your appreciation on him, nor do you touch him."

"You spent your precious time checking on me and my simplest gestures towards Katze? They amounted to nothing, but, yes, Iason, I think your words are wise, and while a little encouragement was in order to motivate your Furniture to become a better servant, now he must be treated as any other."

"You are still tutoring him."

"His usefulness has increased, hasn't it?"

"Yes, indeed, and I am more than pleased with the results, my friend. I find him almost irreplaceable now. But how does he take it? Your lack of special interest in him, I mean."

"If you are so curious, why don't you ask him yourself?" Raoul challenged, throwing Iason a sidelong glance.

"I do not talk to my Furniture in this manner", Iason snorted. "And, by the way, you were all about considering Katze almost our equal. Or am I wrong?"

"Jupiter's laws are not to be broken by the likes of me. I must have overstepped when I said such things."

Iason stared at Raoul for a few seconds. He sighed, seemingly bored: "Too bad, your interactions were quite fun to watch. Now you are only regular Blondie and Furniture."

Raoul bowed. "As we are supposed to be."

Lord Raoul Am had had a lot to think about after the steamy episode he had lived through with Katze. He might have lied to the boy, claiming it had been all the fault of the aphrodisiac, but, while being honest to his own self, he had discovered that he had found that closeness to the redhead's body to have been too damn appealing and, also, hard to forget. Listless nights had been his companions, after the incident, and Raoul Am had even questioned his own sanity. It was his duty to put an end to the situation, for which he tended to blame only himself. 'I led the poor boy on, Iason was right. But this infatuation must end', he had thought, so he had started to ignore Katze, only talking to him what was really necessary. The boy, on the other hand, had been submissive, and not once had asked Lord Am more than things concerning the lessons that were still taught to him or things related to his tasks as Furniture.

Katze's haunted eyes had only been noticed by Karl.

"What is wrong?" He had been asked by the other Furniture.

"Nothing is wrong, why do you ask?"

"You changed after the party for Lady Madeleine. You look unhappy", the concern in the boy's voice could be heard.

"I am just tired", Katze had tried to shrug it off, much to Karl's dismay.

"Anyways, I'm here if you want someone to talk to", he had told the redhead, not wanting to press matters that seemed much too painful for Katze.

Katze was still keeping the old gloves that were now starting to turn yellow. Memories were there to be cherished, but the young boy held no hope of a better future. He had thought, at the time, that the carnal communion with the Elite, would last, in his mind, for a lifetime, and it would be enough. But now he knew that true love could never be satisfied, and it was now eating at his heart. He had hoped that the Elite would at least return to his former attitude towards Katze, but Raoul was acting like an ice statue when around the redhead, making the young heart freeze instead of warming up like in the past.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ANK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sneaking into his quarters, Katze sat with a sigh at his terminal. Those computer lessons were really coming in handy, and he now loved to play a game of hide and seek with the security sensors guarding most links outside the ones that Furniture was allowed to access. In his virtual peregrinations, the redhead had found some things he called doors, and, through careful decrypting he had managed to go through some of them. These days, it was the only thing that got him excited, although he still liked to be tutored by Lord Am. It made his heart beat faster, each time he entered and left, without being caught. It made Katze feel important, and he could not care less if it was something his Master or other Elites would agree to. It was his secret, a place where Katze was his own self, and this seemed to be the only important thing for the 16 year old.

His trips into the virtual world were getting more and more interesting. Accessing the files for new Furniture waiting to be shipped to Tanagura had proved to be a piece of cake. What he wanted to know more was to discover where old Furniture had to go, after being released from their Masters' service. He had discovered that they were sold from one master to another, but what really made him frown was the lack of information regarding them once they reached a certain age. He would have liked to think that they were to be retired, but there was no evidence pointing it so. It looked like people, such as him and Karl, were bound to disappear into thin air. And what worried him, when he had accessed Karl's file, was that the other boy was rapidly reaching the age of 20, after which no Furniture seemed to exist in plain sight.

He did not dare saying anything to Karl. After all, what was the point of panicking the other, since he had no solid information to base his assumptions on? Also, he did not know if Master Iason wanted to keep Karl more or not, since the youngster had always been useful for the Mink household. But the thought of losing his only friend, and to an uncertain future, was preventing him from sleeping at night. That, and the permanent mix of anger and desire towards a certain Elite, whose green eyes no longer sparkled upon seeing Katze.

While honing his skills in computers, Katze's passion for discovering the forbidden was growing from one day to another. It was giving him a thrill to sort through heaps of garbage information, until he was finding something new, and the moment of discovery was making him almost dizzy with excitement. In a strange way, Katze was feeling empowered, well above his station as a Furniture; going through the gates that separated his real life from the virtual one, laying dormant in the womb of the network gave him another sense of reality. He had used to think that his life was going to be nothing else but a straight road, once he could get into Tanagura, but now he was sensing that that road was leading nowhere, and the thought, while frightening him, was also motivating him to dig further, in order to discover the truth.

One day, Katze got lucky, or so he thought. He managed to hack into the routine of a drone overflying the surface of the planet. In his life so far, the Mongrel had only knew about the inhabited part of Amoi that basically consisted only of three zones: Ceres, Midas and Tanagura. The rest seemed to be covered in darkness, or so Katze had thought. People, no matter to which zone they belonged, suffered from an inbred fear regarding what lied beyond the borders they have thought safe. The redhead had found it quite strange that even the Blondies, while involved in complex intergalactic affairs, were not known to set foot outside their safety zone, on their own planet. Katze had once made an attempt to ask Lord Am about the unknown part of the planet, but the Elite had frowned and had told him that Jupiter had created this safe haven for them because outside of it, no one would be able to survive. "When Lambda 3000 terraformed Amoi, She ensured that we will have here all that we need. We have no reason to cross the borders of our home. Amoi was not capable of sustaining life as we know it now, so we should be grateful for what we have. Yes, we travel to other planets, but the climate there has always been generous to living creatures. We must be proud that such a challenge was given to us, to make Amoi stand out among other planets, although its land and its moons did not want us to live here. For that, we should not break the rules, as it would most likely lead to our demise." Katze had to admit that he had not been exactly satisfied with the answer, as the Blondie had looked a little bit uncomfortable when the Furniture had enquired what was lying outside Tanagura and its neighboring areas. For many others, Raoul Am may have looked like usual, but Katze had learned to read even the most imperceptible signs of change in the Elite's countenance. It had also been more reason for the curious Furniture to continue his searching.

Now, he was looking through the eye of the drone, his own eyes wide open in excitement, while the machine was overflying Amoi. His initial excitement faded out, since the images he was fed through the drone's all seeing eye seemed to show the same dull, desert like terrain. He was about to withdraw, and shut down the link, when something caught his eye. Something that looked like … movement. He used the zoom feature on the drone, and brought the image closer. Definitely, something was moving. Was it … a human being? An indefinite form looked like it was squirming, leaving traces on the sand. 'Damn it! Is this thing incapable of zooming in more?' Katze felt the sudden need to hit the keyboard in frustration. Suddenly, a shadow was cast over the form moving with great difficulty on the ground. The form stilled, and so did Katze. The shadow closed in, showing its owner. Another form, this one standing up, and casting its long shadows over the creature on the ground, could now be seen, although the Mongrel could not make too much of it either. What hit Katze, though, was that the standing up silhouette was all black and it seemed mechanical in nature, after its somewhat rigid movements. The black form suddenly bent; the other form became frantic, trying to get away from the shadow; it was apparently futile, though, from what Katze could tell, since the dark silhouette easily caught him from behind without too much of an effort. There was something definite and determined in the way the machine was moving; it was this difference that set the two apart, and what convinced the Furniture that indeed, the one barely moving through the sand was human. A blink of a second was all that took; if it had not been for the sudden flash of what seemed like a laser shot, Katze would have missed it. The dark silhouette turned and left, while the human form remained unmoved on the ground. The redhead almost hoped that the machine had just chosen to leave that poor bastard alone, but his fruitless hopes were gone when he noticed an enlarging, dark in color, stain forming on the ground, just beneath the now rigid form. He stared in horrid fascination; he could not zoom in more, but he was almost sure that human being was now dead, drenching in his own blood. He was awakened from his stupor by a sudden beeping sound. He quickly closed down the application he had made himself to command the drone, and withdrew. When he closed his terminal, he noticed in amazement how his hands were shaking. What was that he had just seen? A human being killed by a machine, somewhere, far away from the only place where life was supposed to exist? The tightness in his chest made him get up abruptly from the chair. He withdrew the disk from the computer in one swift move, while sweat was forming on his forehead. He wiped it with the back of his hand, and stashed the disk away in his secret safe, hidden underneath one foot of his Spartan bed. 'I must calm down, I cannot afford being seen like this', he tried to convince himself, but he found it quite difficult to stop the trembling of his hands. He took a deep breath concentrating on regaining the steady rhythm of his pulse and heartbeat.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ANK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For several days, Katze went about his regular tasks, without daring to surf the secrets of Amoi at his heart's content. However, his nights were now inhabited by nightmares; sometimes, he was seeing himself laying on the ground, without being able to move a muscle, while a dark silhouette was stretching over his limp body; the strangest and scariest thing was that he was only feeling all this happening, since he seemed incapable of opening his eyes to look straight into the eyes of his aggressor. The same recurring dream was torturing him, and Katze felt like he was more and more engrossed in it. After the initial shock that made him wake up almost screaming, he tried to manipulate his own actions in the dream. 'It's only a dream, I only need to focus on trying to open my eyes, and maybe, then, I will see … what exactly are you expecting to see, Katze?' he was whispering to himself, while trying to fall asleep at night.

One night, the dream changed, becoming different somehow. Katze was moving on the ground, like a snake, using his body muscles; he could smell the dryness of the sand beneath him; like usual, he was incapable of using his arms or legs to get away faster. He was now feeling the other presence following him and closing the distance between them at incredible speed. Katze stopped his frantic movements; 'I won't run this time; this time, I will look into your face, asshole!' He almost sensed the other bending over him; he stilled and, with an effort he had not thought himself being capable of, he opened his eyes.

Two sapphire blues, burning like lasers, stared into his eyes. Katze gasped, but no sounds came out of his mouth. In a blink of a second, he saw his aggressor's face. There, inches from him, was Iason Mink, his Master, the only being that was keeping Katze's existence in his hands, that could end it, crush it, make it one with the sand beneath the Mongrel's body.

Katze woke up, covered in sweat. With trembling hands he opened his nightstand light. 'What was that? It is not possible … Why?'

He got up from the bed, and started pacing back and forth. 'Clearly, I am slowly going crazy. I must put an end to this.'

The only way to do that was to find out more. 'No point in being scared about the dark, when you can always light up a candle, right?' He took out the disk and placed it inside the terminal in his room, after turning it on. He impatiently waited for the first scans to be completed, as he always needed to make sure that the guardian sensors were away from the area he was exploring. All of this was his doing, the scanning program, the applications that were allowing him to travel to places never to be accessed by a mere Furniture. What would have Lord Am thought about what he was doing with the knowledge that was given to him? He had not wasted any time thinking of this, although a certain sensation of guilt was trying him from time to time.

He quickly took hold of the drone he had hacked before, and waited with his heart small as a bird. After introducing the position data where he had seen the scene that had scared him so much, he started maneuvering the drone, trying to explore further. That human form had to come from somewhere, and by the looks of it, that place should not have been far. Following in the victim's imaginary steps, going backwards, Katze's eyes remained focused on the screen, scanning carefully for any sign of life. A ridge suddenly appeared in front of his eyes, and, for several seconds, Katze's eyes saw only darkness. 'Exploring at night is not such a good idea', he mused, unconsciously biting his lower lip. He made the drone descend slowly, sensing that the ridge was probably part of a deep rift in the terrain. A small light flickered on the screen, and Katze's eyes gleamed. He was finally getting somewhere. More and more lights emerged from the depths of the rift, and Katze started to discern human forms maneuvering the lights, which they seem to hold like torches. The Furniture blinked repeatedly, not able to make more of what he was seeing. Getting closer to the screen, he tried to concentrate on only one form; when he realized what he was looking at, he jumped back in horror and fear. That human form had no legs and was basically crawling, the torch attached in a strange way on his back. He only had one hand, with which he was holding a pickaxe that he used to push into the rock in front of his eyes, in a weird attempt to mining. Katze's eyes flew from him to another, also maimed, performing the same fruitless task. And then to another, that looked like resting, or could as well lay there dead. The Mongrel placed a hand over his mouth, so that he would not scream. Around the human forms, hovering over them, with lazy movements, menacing machines looked like strange, oversized supervisors. The scene unfolding in front of his eyes made Katze take a few steps back.

Suddenly, he bumped into something solid, and he froze. He turned fast, almost not daring to look up, but he already knew that he was doomed. Two sapphire blues, burning like lasers, despite the darkness in the room, alleviated only by the faint light of the computer screen, were staring him down. A swish through the air almost warned Katze to dodge the descending hand, holding something that slashed through the soft skin of the Furniture's left cheek like a knife through butter, but he did not manage to be fast enough. A sting, followed by a burning sensation, made him nauseated. He touched his cheek in disbelief and felt humidity; like in trance, he held his hand in front of his eyes, covered in blood, darkened blood, like the stain he had seen on the screen a few days ago, pooling beneath that hopeless creature. It was his Master's voice that woke him up from his reverie.

"Raoul was right after all, Katze. You are more intelligent than any other Mongrel."

The calmness in Iason's voice contrasted so much with the violence of his actions that it made him want to vomit. If the Master was going to kill him, why postpone it with useless conversation? Katze was fearing more than death in these moments; he was fearing the torture he would endure at the Elite's hands. Nonetheless, he did not dare begging.

Iason's eyes lazily moved from Katze's bloodied cheek to the screen. "I see you have discovered Rayana Uugo. Of course, a little bit of help was needed to satiate your curiosity", he commented, and it dawned at Katze, although too late. The drone had been too responsive, and its zooming features had seemed to have been improved overnight! He should have seen it! He had been too blind, too focused to see the true nature his nightmares were made of that he had failed to notice the obvious! The thought that even this would not have helped him, since his Master was already aware of his extra work activities, made his stomach turn. He did not dare breathe. It was too much. His life was forfeit.

"What are thinking right now?"

A certain tendency towards sadism could easily be read in the Master's voice.

"I think I am dead", he whispered.

He barely refrained a gasp, when a gloved hand grabbed his chin, turning his face, so that Iason could admire his own handiwork in the murkiness of the room. 'Blondies must have heightened vision like anything else. His eyes are radiating', Katze mused, finding it weirdly funny that his last thoughts would be about the Blondie's superiority.

"Wrong, clever Mongrel. I see no use in throwing away something that could serve me well. I think I have all your loyalty now, right, Katze?"

The bastard was almost smiling when saying those words. It looked though more like a ferocious grin, and Katze trembled.

"Yes, Master."

After all, he was alive, and it was all that mattered.

"Good. I don't like to waste too many words. Needless to say, fail again and Rayana Uugo will become your home."

Katze did not have to turn to take another look at the screen to realize the reality of that warning.

"Tend to your wound. Then meet me in the living room. We have important things to discuss."

The redhead did not even manage to utter the formal 'Yes, Master', and Iason was gone from his sight. Like an automaton, he went to the bathroom, and used the first aid kit to clean his cheek. The cut was not very deep, but he would have to use stitches to mend it right. No point in asking the Master for a doctor though, right? Katze was feeling his knees giving in, seeing the blood pouring from his wound. He patched himself as he could. It was not hurting, it was burning.

"This will leave a scar", he talked to himself while staring into the mirror. Suddenly, he felt very old. The faint hope of being able to control his own life was discarded like a piece of paper to the wind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ANK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Come, Katze", Iason motioned his Furniture to stay next to him on the sofa.

The redhead took little steps towards his Master and tormentor, but obeyed. What was in store for him? Iason had said he would be used, but how?

"I suppose you have plenty of questions. If you want to learn the answers, I suggest to drop this scared look and hurry", Iason added with a smile.

Katze sat next to the Head of the Syndicate, and wildly thought what others would think about that and how preposterous his physical closeness to Lord Mink actually looked.

"As I said, I do not want to waste too much time, and seeing how smart you are, I am going to give you the heads on and let you figure out the rest. I am not only the Head of the Syndicate, I am also the one in charge of the Black Market."

Katze's eyes grew bigger. Black Market? Was that even real? He had only heard about it accidentally, while he was still taking classes for becoming a Furniture, but he had never paid attention to the gossip. Some boys had been saying how cool would be for them to become part of it, but Katze had thought that the so called Black Market was nothing else but another, larger street gang, with a better reputation than the rest. Hearing about it straight from the horse's mouth made it all real.

"Amoi is a small planet. Playing by the rules would get us nowhere. We have to employ underhanded tactics, if we want to be able to sustain ourselves and have the upper hand in intergalactic affairs. Flawed Pets, illicit substances, weapons, all these cannot be sold in broad daylight. Not to mention that it would soil our reputation. We need the Black Market in order to survive."

Katze was watching Iason with his mouth agape. The Blondie continued:

"Of course, our dear partners have no idea about this. It is a privilege to know about it, and, in Tanagura, only the most important members of the Syndicate are aware of the Black Market, and its implications. And now, you know about it, too."

Katze felt the need to shrug in disbelief. He just managed to utter:

"Why me?"

"It is quite simple", Iason smiled. "There is plenty of work, and I need someone I can trust to handle things for me. I cannot spare of any of my colleagues, and Raoul would never leave his precious labs. I have been searching for the right associate for quite a while now. I haven't expected to find him in a Furniture, a Mongrel, but the last weeks have made it clear for me why Raoul is praising you so much. No one could ever dare, and succeed, to go as far as you."

A little pause and Iason added, staring intently into Katze's eyes: "In using his native intelligence and his acquired skills, as well as breaking the rules."

The redhead was staring at his Master in pure amazement, not knowing what to say. Iason raised his hand and touched his wounded cheek briefly. "Leave that to heal on its own."

The Master had rarely touched him. Right now, the light caress had almost seemed affectionate.

"Here are the first details you need to know", Iason continued, gesturing towards the screen of a computer in front of them.

Katze bent and watched closely. He had no time to think about other things, not even about his amazing survival that had just taken place. He also understood now why Iason had wanted him to come so close. The words were rolling out of the Master's mouth rapidly, and Katze felt even more challenged than during the tutoring sessions with Lord Am. He was assimilating information at high speeds, asking only now and then about various details, never wasting time.

A contented smile spread across Iason's face, carrying an inkling of pride. He closed the laptop and handed it to Katze. "This is yours. I had to make sure that you are as fast and as capable as Raoul pictured you to be. Any other questions?"

Katze took the laptop from his Master's hands, not really believing that all that was happening for real. He hesitated for a second, than he asked:

"That man …what did he do?"

"He was a traitor. As for the question you do not dare asking, no, he would not have survived."

Katze bowed, no longer daring to look straight at his Master, like he had done so much during the last two hours.

"We will need to adjust your attitude. There is no longer need for you to bow to me or call me Master. You have just been promoted, Katze."

There was no word to describe the bewilderment on the redhead's face. Iason continued, barely hiding a thin smile.

"Tomorrow, we will dress you up properly."

"Properly for what?"

"For your new job, of course. You are no longer Furniture, and you cannot afford to look like one."

That night, Katze slept soundly. He no longer felt carrying any control over his future, but he was somewhat at peace. After all, he had managed to survive when the odds were clearly against him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ANK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dressed in black, with the tailor fawning over him, Katze was staring at his own image in the mirror, not daring to believe his eyes. It was like he was suddenly taller, and the black suit contrasted with his pale skin and fiery hair, making him stand out in a way he was not sure he was comfortable with.

The tailor gone, Katze remained pensive, still looking at his reflection. He saw Iason approaching. The Elite placed his gloved hands on his shoulders.

"You will have to grow fast, Katze. The Black Market is not Tanagura or some cozy place. My advice is to use that spine of yours the best you can. Also, get some muscles. You will need them. You cannot compensate everything with intelligence, especially against people that do not play by the rules, and wait only for the right moment to stab you in the back and take your place. You will have all my support, but, for the people you will meet, you are nothing but an outsider."

"How are you going to manage? With the household, I mean?"

Iason smiled.

"Do you think I will keep you washing dishes when you can hack a drone? But I know the reason why you ask this, as I am very well aware of the entirety of your illicit actions under my roof. I will give you Karl to take care of the tasks you must not be bothered with."

Katze could barely refrain a sigh of relief.

"Actually, I think your Furniture must already be prepared."

Like on cue, a soft knock on the door was heard.

"Enter, Karl."

The redhead's friend entered the room, walking in the same Furniture manner like usual. But he was casting sidelong glances towards Katze, clearly terrified. He was carrying something that looked like a large suitcase, and the pallor of his face, as well as his puffy eyes could tell that he had been crying.

"Karl, you will be in Katze's service from now on. When you are only you two, you can address each other as you see fit, but, when others are around, Karl, you must address Katze with 'Master'. Understood?"

The absolute look of amazement on Karl's face could tell that the boy had not known about what was he supposed to do, before entering the door. Iason could be a cruel bastard, but that was not a novelty for Katze.

Karl nodded, slowly regaining his composure.

"Yes, Master Iason."

Turning towards Katze, Iason handed him a small card with an address on it. The Mongrel noticed the address was from Midas.

"This is where you two will live from now on. Karl, you will take the small car, and take Katze there. It will be enough for now. How you choose to present yourself, Katze, only depends on you and, of course, how well you will do, financially speaking."

"Am I starting already?" Katze asked somewhat alarmed.

"Yes. You have all the information needed, in the laptop I gave you, including names and connections. Make sure you memorize most of it, as I expect results, and fast."

With all being said and done, Katze took the card.

"I will see you in a week, Katze."

"Farewell, Ma … Iason", the redhead added quickly, noticing the stern look on the Elite's face. He did not dare look towards Karl, though; he was sure the poor boy was too flabbergasted by all was happening to even talk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ANK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Karl was walking behind him, dragging the humongous suitcase after him.

"Let's carry it together", Katze offered, but the Furniture put himself between the suitcase and Katze.

"No, it is my job, Master Katze."

"Karl, stop it, for now we are alone."

"Katze … what have you done? What happened to your cheek? What will Master Iason do without a Furniture?" the despair could easily be heard in the whispered words.

The two entered the elevator, Karl treading behind the redhead.

"It's complicated, Karl."

"Not calling Master Iason Master? What if he was just testing you?"

"No, Karl, he was not, trust me. This is real, no matter how incredible it sounds. I cannot tell you much right now, but you will have to believe me that I will make everything in my power so that we are safe."

"Safe? Master Iason threw us out! He no longer wants us in his household!"

The boy was suddenly sobbing, and Katze's heart melted a little.

"He needs us for something more important. The fact that he decided that you should accompany me shows how much he appreciates your work and how much trust he has in you. I am now in charge of his business in Midas, and I must to make sure that everything goes exactly how he wants it."

"You know how to do this? I do not know anything else but being a Furniture!"

"Stop worrying, Karl. If Iason thinks I can do it, then it means I can. After all, he gave us a house and a car, this must amount to something, right?"

"If you say so …" Karl spoke, not entirely convinced, but wiping his tears away, while both of them got off the elevator.

"By the way, Katze", the boy whispered, watching the redhead with unhidden admiration. "You look great in black."

Katze smiled. "Glad to see you in a good mood, again. Let's go, we have a ton of work to handle."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ANK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Good evening, Iason."

Raoul Am had felt a little restless, upon seeing a new face opening the door for him. Katze did not seem to be in sight, either. Something was definitely off.

Iason was turned towards the window and he was watching the beautiful Tanagura views.

"Good evening, Raoul. What a great night, don't you think?"

"Yes, indeed. The sky is rarely so clear, and seeing the full moons is a sight to behold", Raoul commented politely, barely refraining from asking about what he wanted to know right away. "I see you have a new Furniture. Do you finally plan to extend your stable and you needed to enlist additional help?"

"No. Why would you think that?" Iason asked, finally turning, with a slightly amused look on his face. "I think a single Furniture can easily attend to my household needs, if he is capable enough. And I can assure you that Daryl is that and even more."

"Daryl? What happened to Karl?"

"Raoul, why don't you come straight at me and ask me what happened to Katze? You may have acted like you did not notice him anymore, but you did not fool me."

Raoul was getting nervous under the scrutiny. Iason had also had something akin to a sixth sense when it came to other people's behaviors. He always saw right through anyone.

"Ok, Iason. What happened to Katze?"

Iason smiled.

"I found him another purpose."

"What do you mean? He is only Furniture, there is nothing else he can do. Iason, if you wanted to sell him, why didn't you ask me? You know how much I appreciate him. I would have loved to take him in my service."

"Yes, I know, Raoul, and I apologize that I did not indulge you this time. But Katze has proved to be more valuable than I pegged him at first. And it is actually you whom I must address my thanks."

"How come?" Raoul asked, barely refraining from demanding immediate answers.

"You taught him how to use computers, and he put the knowledge you gave him to good use. He really succeeded in impressing me, Raoul. He managed to make his own applications that he used to hack into our mainframe, can you believe it?"

The Second in Command froze in place. "He did what? Tell me, Iason, that you have not put him to death! Tell me that you haven't sent him … there!"

Intense emotions were playing on the Elite's face. Iason was a sadistic bastard that loved to play. However, there was no reason to keep Raoul waiting except for the initial shock that he wanted to obtain from his usually composed friend.

"I should have, but then I thought that he is way too valuable to dispense of him so easily. I put him in charge of the Black Market."

The phrase had been so simply said, but Raoul's expression spoke volumes. "You did what, Iason? The Black Market? He will be turned to shreds! You threw him to the wolves! You think your name is enough to make those animals stay away?"

Iason raised his hand and Raoul's tirade was brought to a halt. "You clearly have too little trust in Katze's abilities to handle himself or others. It actually surprises me, this attitude of yours. You always praised him, you said that he is incredibly intelligent. He lacks nothing to succeed."

"How much time did you prepare him for this?" Raoul inquired further.

"Prepare? Hm, about two hours, I guess. I gave him all the needed information and instructions. He will be fine" Iason waved his hand, like he was talking about some trifle matters.

"Two hours? Are you completely out of your mind?"

Iason stared at his friend, a bit surprised. He had never been chastised like that by the Second in Command.

"No, I am perfectly sane. On the other hand, I can see that you are incredibly disturbed with a piece of news that I hoped to please you. Do you not want Katze to have a better future?"

"A better future, yes, but with proper preparations. I could have taught him more, Iason, I could have told him how to …"

"Stop, Raoul. Katze learned from you the most valuable lesson: how to learn on his own. And he will be perfectly fine. However, I have one request from you, and you will have to promise me that you will comply with my wish. Don't go see him."

"Why?" Raoul sounded almost alarmed.

"Isn't it obvious?" Iason almost snorted. "He needs to focus right now. He does not need any distractions from his work. Taking a wrong step right now could even mean his demise."

"But I only want to help him! He needs me!"

"No, he does not!" Iason raised his voice, as well. "You can pretend you are blind, but I do not have any reason to do so", he continued on the same tone. "The last thing he needs now is to face the one he not so secretly covets. Dangling something he can never have in front of his eyes is cruel, Raoul. Even I am not that cruel. Your half assed niceties could do more harm than good that is why I am asking you to stand down, and wait until he rises to the top and stays there for a safe amount of time."

Raoul could not believe his ears. But, despite himself, he had to admit that Iason was right. Even if his longtime friend did not know and was not even suspecting that he and Katze already had each other in the most intimate possible way.


	6. Chapter 6

Update! And betaed too!

AnKgirl – yes, the possibilities! ;)

SandroFL – thanks for the great review, I hope you will continue to enjoy!

Norm120 – not a problem, sweetheart :)

Dressed in his now usual black suit, Katze was sitting behind his desk, his long fingers tapping over the lacquered surface, in waiting. The man in front of him was measuring him up and down, and the redhead was trying hard to refrain from snapping out at the man and putting him in his place.

"This is not enough. The men want a larger cut."

"I already told you this is not possible. Take it or leave it. This is my final offer", Katze talked, staring straight into the man's eyes.

"Then we'll take our services somewhere else."

The man pretended to be a tough bargainer, but Katze could tell he was nothing but an amateur, at best. He lit a cigarette, a habit he had found most pleasant and comforting during the last months. Then he watched the man through the smoke, eyes at half mast, as if pondering over something. All of a sudden, his tapping fingers stopped, and his hand closed into a fist.

"Then it is decided. I'll find someone else to handle this."

Katze rose to his feet, signaling the other that the meeting was over. The man looked up at him in consternation.

"What? You can't find others!" he tried to prolong the negotiations.

Katze sighed, seemingly bored. He examined his fingernails for inexistent traces of dirt.

"That is my problem and it concerns me, not you."

With the huff, the man rose from his chair, not willing to step down, just yet. He exited the door, making sure to slam it after him.

Karl knocked softly and entered his Master's office.

"Karl, ask Jake to come up here."

"Yes, Master."

Katze rolled his eyes, but he knew what Karl feared. He did not want to happen to address the redhead casually by accident, so he had insisted on calling his friend 'Master' while they were at work. The ex-Furniture smiled remembering how difficult it had been to convince Karl to come work as an assistant for at his office. Not that he did not understand the conflicted emotions the other youngster was experiencing. Taken away from a somewhat comfortable life, surrounded by luxury, although he had not been allowed to lavish in it, he was now faced with a change of scenery that looked sordid through comparison. He now had to talk to simple men, some of them hardened by their daily jobs, and no longer with beautiful Pets, with their heads full of air. Katze had offered him the chance to try something new, and, in the end, Karl had said 'yes'. It had been only a few days since Karl had come with him to the office, and the redhead felt compelled to watch over Karl's reactions towards this new environment.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ANK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the meantime, Karl was entering the warehouse to call the said Jake. He had yet to learn all the men's names, but he was trying to. It was, however, the first time for him to leave his secretary desk and enter the warehouse without Katze. He was kind of nervous, since he had noticed the dumbfounded looks on the men's faces, when his Master had introduced him. 'They might think I am weird somehow. They may suspect that I am …' Karl did not want to think about it. Katze was three years younger than him and he was already taller and better built. And the redhead was beautiful, a detail that Karl had noticed from the start. He also wished he was as strikingly attractive as his friend. He found his looks to be nothing but ordinary. His hazelnut hair was cut short, and his eyes just matched his hair. 'Awfully plain', he had thought a thousand times while looking at his own reflection in the mirror.

He gathered his wits and with a deep breath he entered the warehouse. The several men working there halted and stared at him. Karl felt his cheeks catching fire. However, he ignored the stares and went directly at to the man his Master wanted to see.

"Hello, Jake. The Boss wants to see you in his office", he said in a voice that he hoped did not sound strangled or too pitched.

The tall brunette named Jake took off his workout gloves and threw them on the machinery he was repairing.

"Now?" he asked rising an eyebrow.

"Yes", Karl responded quickly, hoping he did not have to convince the man, and that he would not end up disappointing Katze, by failing to complete such a simple task.

"Ok", the man answered nonchalantly and followed Karl who headed immediately towards the exit, several pairs of eyes boring into his back.

On the stairs, Karl was feeling the other man's presence, as if it was something solid and heavy. The man was really tall, and Karl noticed how he could barely reach his shoulders with his small height. He was also strong, with well developed muscles, that did not do justice to the rather young face that Karl had found, in amazement, to be quite handsome. He was exuding masculinity, exactly what Karl lacked, and it was causing the poor Furniture a mix of envy and admiration, whenever he furtively looked back, to see if the other was still following him. Not like he needed any confirmation, since the man's heavy boots were banging rather loudly against each and every stair.

"Karl, hm, me and the boys are wondering …"

Surprised to hear the other talk, Karl turned on his heels. Even the man's voice was masculine and low, almost making the hairs on his nape stand on end, especially when he was whispering like right now.

"Yes?" he tried to indulge the other.

"Is anyone tapping that ass?"

Karl's eyes grew wide. He was not sure he was understanding the question.

"What ass?" he barely uttered, not daring to look straight at the man.

"Yours, of course", Jake answered, in a tone that was giving away his surprise.

Karl blushed profusely and just chose to turn around. A strong hand gripped his wrist, but without force.

"Don't take me wrong, man, but you're looking damn fine and we want to know if we can try our luck or not."

The boy barely refrained from withdrawing his hand and running away, screaming. He was not sure, though, if from excitement or fear.

Since he remained silent, the other spoke again: "Or is the Boss banging you? If you belong to him that way, we will be like 'hands off' and stuff, no worries."

"What if I am not?" Karl dared asking.

"Then I hope you give me the first go", the man closed the distance between them and whispered into the boy's ear. "Let me take you out on a date. I promise I'll show you a nice time. You won't regret it."

Karl breathed deeply. He should have felt insulted, he should have slapped the man, he should have … but instead, he was feeling rather flattered.

"I …" he hesitated.

"Hush", the man blew hot air over his ear, "you don't have to give me an answer right now. But think about it, I'm great in the sack and not only. Ok?"

"Ok", Karl confirmed without thinking.

The hand left his wrist as did the hot breathing in his ear. However, he felt the same hand cupping gently and briefly his ass and heard the man whisper admiratively: "Fine ass you have there, Karl. You gotta share man."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ANK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Is there something wrong?" Katze inquired, seeing his friend all blushing after Jake waved Karl goodbye, upon leaving his office.

Karl gulped, trying to hide his embarrassment. "Ahem, actually … he grabbed my ass." He quickly cast his eyes down, to avoid the consternation in his friend's eyes. He was absolutely sure that Katze would confirm that it was all a joke, and that it was not possible that a guy like Jake would like a guy like him.

"He did what?"

Katze seemed furious, as he got up from the chair and headed for the door. Karl quickly grabbed his sleeve.

"No … please. Actually, it was kind of … cute."

The redhead turned towards Karl, staring at the Furniture in disbelief. "You mean … you liked it?"

Karl blushed more. "I … kind of did. You see, Master", he started talking rapidly, "in Tanagura, everyone is beautiful, so a guy like me is practically invisible. For me, someone telling me he likes me … it's kind of nice."

The redhead had to admit that Karl's words made sense in a way. How many times had he moped over the fact that he could never compete with the beauty of the Pets produced in Raoul Am's labs? Although he had been motivated in his regrets by his personal interest in that certain Elite, he could not deny Karl's secret wish to be liked.

"OK, but … you know this can lead to some complications …"

"Oh, no, I would not dare jeopardize the peace of your household, Master!"

"Would you stop that 'Master' routine already? It's annoying, especially since we're talking about something this delicate", he chided. "Just tell me what you want. Of course, if I had been you, I would have smacked him, but this is not about me. So, go ahead, and say what you really wish for."

Karl seemed somewhat puzzled, but he dared: "I think I want to try … it."

"It?"

The hazel eyes were cast down, while usually white cheeks were burning.

"I heard … it might be pleasant somehow … even for people like us."

'Telling me about it', Katze mused, briefly touching the deeply hidden memory of a certain heated night, when he had melted in the arms of the man he was still in love with.

Embarrassed by Katze's silence, Karl continued, somewhat reproachful, but on a lower tone: "You have no idea how it is to be me. Even as Furniture, you drew attention. Lord Am always thought you were special, and Shiv wanted you like crazy. Don't you think I heard the Pets talking about you? I thought it was all jealousy from Shiv's part, but now I really believe he felt attracted to you. Lord Am, as well."

"Hush", the redhead tried to stop Karl from reminding him of the gorgeous Blondie who still inhabiting his dreams from time to time. "If this is what you want, then you should try it. But be careful, and don't let Jake, or anyone use you, ok? Also, let him know that I am well aware of all this and that hell will be served to him on a plate, if something happens to you that you do not want."

Karl jumped for joy and circled Katze's neck with his arms. "Does this mean that I can, like go out with him?"

"Just let me know the night when I'll have to cook on my own."

"Oh, I would not dare leave without preparing your meal beforehand..."

"Jeez, Karl, I think I still know how to prepare a meal. Just make sure he treats you right, ok? Or you just want this for the sex part?"

Karl's wide open eyes spoke volumes.

"Just kidding", Katze smiled, ruffling the other's hair. "I cannot believe that you are over 20 and still such a kid sometimes."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! I will let you know all the details!"

"Well, that might be too much info for me to handle."

Karl stopped, and looked straight at Katze. "Are you still thinking about him?"

The redhead just nodded silently. He laughed humorlessly: "Can you believe it, Karl? Not once has he come by. And I know for sure that he has enough business involving the Black Market that he had enough occasions to drop by."

"Oh, Katze, I am so sorry … Here I am, babbling about a guy that I do not know anything about, while you … Something happened between you two, isn't it? Something … big?"

Katze smiled wryly. Karl really had a weird way with words. "Don't you worry, Karl. Have your fun, and tell me about it afterwards. But", he pointed a finger towards his friend and now, due to circumstances, his Furniture, "you can leave some details out of it."

Karl nodded, smiling sheepishly. His young heart was about to get her wings.

Katze loved to exercise. It had been Iason's suggestion to start building a stronger physique, but he never expected to enjoy so much the excess of endorphins flowing through his system, after putting his body through the pains of exercising.

His body was covered with a sheer layer of sweat, and the yoga pants and tight fitting shirt left little to the imagination. Not that Katze wanted an audience. On the contrary, once his routine finished, he wanted nothing but to take a shower and sleep.

"I have to see you."

Those were the words Iason had said to him, and it took only two minutes for the Blondie to be at his door. The Head of the Syndicate visited him from time to time, but usually, his visits were announced ahead of time.

Barely masking his discomfort, Katze opened the door, and let the Blondie enter. He could tell Iason was a bit surprised at his attire, so he apologized.

"Sorry, I didn't know you were coming, and I haven't taken a shower, so, if you can wait …"

"No, actually, this is kind of urgent. The shipment from Arania, I have personal interest in it, and it is not here yet. Can you tell me what is going on?"

Iason sat gracefully on the sofa Katze had installed especially for these visits in the comfortable living room. The redhead had a tough time pretending he was not overly conscious of the way the Blondie was measuring him with his eyes.

"I already spoke to the captain of the ship. It should be here shortly. But I could have told you this over the phone …"

"I want you to handle the shipment once it arrives", Iason cut short his tirade. "Not your henchmen, you."

"Ok, Iason. Consider it done."

With his eyes at half mast, Iason was eyeing him in a way that was making him too aware of his tight clothes, and his overall inappropriate appearance. He felt like almost wanting to scream 'what?', but he knew better. He might not have to call Iason 'Master', but there were limits to their so called arrangement, so he kept his mouth shut.

"Where is Karl?" Iason inquired all of a sudden.

Katze almost felt the need to lie, but he knew how particular Iason could be about lies.

"Ahem, on a date."

Iason smiled. "Oh, I see."

Just like that. Katze could not believe it how casual the Blondie seemed to be about it. Unless, and the redhead knew why he did not want to lie in the first place, Iason already knew.

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on them", Katze attempted at protecting his friend, not really knowing what the Blondie thought of the situation.

"Why?"

The question seemed natural, but Katze could recognize a trap for what it was worth.

"Your name will not be blemished, I will make sure of it." Now Katze was feeling kind of stupid. What was Iason's game, and what had Karl to do with it?

"I don't care who Karl chooses to bed. I am more interested in how you feel about it."

"Me? Not exactly my business, if you're asking."

"Don't you want to bed someone? Have no opportunities arrived your way?"

Katze was staring in disbelief at the Blondie's gorgeous face.

"I cannot bed anyone", he responded, stiffing visibly. "I don't think it's in my … our interest for anyone to know that I am a castrate."

Katze found it hard to say the word, but, with Iason, he knew that he had to use brutal honesty from time to time.

"Of course. Yet," Iason continued, following a thread of logic Katze seemed to be failing to grasp, "not bedding anyone would bring as much gossip."

"And what do you want?" Katze's tone froze several degrees. "To randomly choose a fuck, pardon my French? And hope they won't tell about the matter of missing parts?"

He felt angered. He knew he should not have overstepped, but something in Iason's attitude was getting on his nerves.

"There's nothing missing", Iason answered, visibly amused, and Katze snorted. "You are not cut, and the process is reversible."

"Are you … telling me that …" Katze mumbled, not sure about what he was hearing.

"The question is whether you are ready to get back what was taken from you or not?"

There were things left unspoken and they were bothering the redhead. Could Iason know about him and Raoul? No, that was not possible.

"I don't really know, Iason. That's big news for me. I guess I do want it back, but what do you want me to do for it?" Katze asked in all honesty.

Iason's smile thinned. "Nothing actually. I just think it would benefit our business to have you reinstated in all your natural rights."

"What? Do you think I don't look enough like a man?"

Hands on his hips, standing straight in his workout clothes, Katze realized too late he was actually offering a show. Iason's eyes were measuring him up and down lazily, taking in all his features, the now well built body, the long muscular limbs, reaching his face, where they remained focused, making the redhead shift nervously from one foot to another.

"Yes, you do, and I am pleased with it. But I think it would give you a nice edge, this thing."

It sounded so trifle coming from the Blondie's mouth like that. Katze hated Iason, somewhere deep inside, during these moments, when he was not entitled to say anything about his own persona. He felt obliged to the Elite.

"You will go to this address tomorrow. The procedure is, in fact, simple, and it will not hamper you to do continue your regular work."

With that, Iason stood up, and Katze understood the true purpose of the impromptu meeting. He pondered for a second, then he asked:

"Why?"

"Why am I allowing you to have your sexuality back? I thought you would be pleased."

"I am grateful, Iason, but, really, I think I could have gotten around my job easily and as I am now …"

"Scared of getting involved?"

Now that was a surprise question. And more than probably, a trap.

"I don't know exactly what …"

"But I do", the Blondie stated matter-of-factly. "Cope with it, Katze, I need you whole for my operation and that's final."

"Will I have to report to you who I sleep with?"

Iason threw him a cold look. "Don't get too cocky. Say 'thank you' like a good boy, and see me to the door."

It was all that it took, a simple look from his former Master, and his current employer, to make Katze revert to his Furniture days. He cast his eyes down, and murmured:

"Of course, Iason, forgive me. I will do as you say. And thank you."

Please with Katze's reactions, Iason grabbed the redhead's chin and looked closely at the scar on his cheek.

"I bet you drive the fear of Jupiter into them with this? But I wonder, how will he react when he sees it?"

Katze's cheeks caught fire. He knew who Iason was talking about, there was no need to ask.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ANK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

While in his car, Iason was perusing the data offered by Katze for the last month, but his mind was wondering someplace else. He had to admit that the interaction between his friend and the Mongrel Furniture had always intrigued him, and, when things had stopped, he had felt disapointment. Maybe he was bored, or there was a certain something stirring inside him that was driving him towards putting things in motion once again. Although always upholding Jupiter's ways, as the Head of the Syndicate, there were still questions on Iason's mind that he wanted answers for. Using his longtime friend and Katze for a little experiment was only meant to satiate his curiosity. A Blondie and a Mongrel – oil and water – two elements never to be combined, but clearly there was a certain attraction, that was not purely coincidental, nor only of an intellectual nature. He knew Raoul had taken his advice, and that he had not visited Katze; but he also knew the Elite had done it, only to protect the redhead, as he was warned, and not because Iason had said so. It was this kind of rebellion that was both unnerving and interesting, in his book. He could not wait for further events to unfold, and he wanted to put them in motion.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ANK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Katze could not tell what was different, once he got off the surgeon's table. He silently listened to the man's recommendations, as if he was in a trance. Upon walking out the door, he could not say that he was a different person.

However, he drove home directly. He wanted nothing but to see with his own eyes.

In front of the mirror, discarding his clothes one by one, he watched carefully. His sex was there, as always, pointing down, nothing seemed different. He gave it a tentative tug. The sudden tickling sensation sent a wave of pleasure straight to his loins, somewhere deep, rippling through his entire body, making his hairs stand on end. He drew a deep breath, and tried again, this time prolonging the sensation and rubbing a little harder. His sex was growing bigger in his palm, and Katze was staring at it in disbelief. It was an old sensation, but it was also new. He was, again, a man.

He continued stroking, his eyes closed now, and his thoughts drifted to a pair of green eyes, that had once stared into his, from up close, while his body was impaled by the man's oversized sex, causing Katze to believe that there was still hope left. He came, remembering the hands touching him, the taste of the other in his mouth.

His breathe calmed down, he released a sigh. 'You are a cruel man, Iason. You do not have to say it. I know that he is off limits, that I can fuck whoever I want, but not him.'

However, he felt refreshed somehow. Walking into the shower, he smiled. 'At least, I can have a use for a certain memory now.'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ANK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"We will meet at my place this time", Iason had informed him, and Katze was feeling a little out of place, not really wanting to go back to that penthouse, where he had experienced so much pain in the past. There he had thought he was going to die, and the redhead was certainly not crazy about some reenactment of past events. However, he had to refrain his own sensations, as he was certain Iason would simply not approve of a refusal.

He was now waiting in the well known living room, staring through the large window at the beautiful Tanagura views. The new Furniture, a boy named Daryl, had told him to wait, as Iason was not home. He sighed in disbelief. 'What's the point summoning me, if you're not here?'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ANK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hello, Daryl, is Iason in?"

"Master Iason will arrive shortly. If you wish, you may wait for him, Lord Am", the young Furniture respectfully bowed.

"I will see myself to the living room, then. No need to guide me, I know the way", Raoul offered, knowing that the Furniture must be over his head in preparing dinner at that hour.

"Thank you very much, Lord Am. The other guest may keep you company, but please call if you need anything."

'Other guest?' Raoul wanted to ask the boy, but then he decided to find out on his own, since he was already there. But who might be visiting so late? His curiosity was piqued.

He entered the room and his breathe almost stopped in his chest. The handsome silhouette, donned in black, although turned with his back to him, could only belong to one single person. He could recognize that fiery hair anywhere.

"Katze!" he exclaimed without thinking, and the other man turned, visibly surprised, a cigarette dangling the corners of his mouth.

'Shit!' it was all Katze could think in the fraction of a second that took Raoul to get to him.

The Blondie stopped, although he looked like he wanted to embrace him. Katze quickly composed himself and took the cigarette out of his mouth, with a somewhat embarrassed gesture. He bowed politely.

"Good evening, Lord Am. I did not expect to see you here tonight."

"It's been such a long time, hasn't it?"

The Blondie's tone sounded affectionate, and the redhead felt like his knees were about to give away. 'For Jupiter's sake! He's more beautiful than I remember!' He tried to hide his eyes, hoping his thoughts would not be so obvious.

"Yes, time passed, Lord Am."

Raoul caressed his head, as he used to do when Katze had come to serve in Iason's household for the first time.

"Look at me, Katze. You look so … grown up."

The admiration in the Blondie's voice was unhidden and Katze buried his nails into his palms, wanting nothing more but have Raoul out of the room until he was no longer responsible for his actions. Yet, his tone was calm when he responded:

"Thank you, Lord Am."

"You are now so tall … and … but what happened to your face?"

'Oh, shit!' Katze cursed inwardly. He had gotten so used to the scar that he was not really aware of it. But Raoul's concern was genuine, and he could not just say what happened.

"This must be taken care of immediately! Why did you allow it to turn into a scar? But don't worry, I have all that is needed to repair it. You will not be able to tell there had been a scar after I am done."

Raoul was clearly worked up about examining Katze's scar with interest, and he did not hear the other Blondie entering the room.

"He will leave it like that."

Both guests turned towards Iason, surprised by his impromptu appearance.

"But Iason, it is ruining his looks!" Raoul huffed. "We cannot have him walk around looking like this, it is just not done!"

Iason smiled, while Katze carefully stepped back, away from Raoul's touch. So that must have been part of Iason's game, too. For Raoul, his scar must have looked disgusting, and Katze felt his heart getting smaller. 'What? Did you have any hopes left? You cannot get rid of the scar, and you must look ugly to him!'

"Raoul, relax, Katze is no longer Furniture. He does not have to be beautiful. Plus, they are now calling him Scarface, on the streets of Midas, don't you think it is becoming of his position? By the way, Katze, have you brought the numbers?"

"Yes, Iason", Katze hurried to escape the tensioned atmosphere and took his laptop from a nearby chair. "They are looking pretty good, if you ask me", he started talking rapidly, hoping to quickly change the subject.

Keeping his eyes down, he missed the look of obvious amazement in Raoul's eyes, upon not hearing the demanded honorific.

Iason guided him to the sofa and the redhead started to present him the situation.

"Join us, Raoul. I think it will interest you that our smart Katze here has managed to nearly double our profits over the last six months."

"Yes, of course", Raoul stated, in a somewhat annoyed tone, and he sat next to Katze, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

The redhead felt trapped between the two Blondies. They were not standing glued to him, but they were much too close for comfort. He focused on presenting the data, offering explanations every time they were asked. Two pairs of blues and greens were staring at him, though, making the temperature in the room rise fast.

Raoul was not missing the familiarity between his longtime friend and Katze. They seemed to be very comfortable with one another, and he was basically feeling like a damn outsider. Every time he asked something, Katze responded politely, with his eyes cast down. However, when Iason did the same thing, Katze looked at the Blondie straight into his eyes, and even allowed himself a joke or two.

While Iason and Katze were discussing business matters like two old associates, Raoul was frowning more and more. Something was irking him. He had not seen the redhead in such a longtime. How many times hadn't he asked his Furniture to drive him to Midas, only to return without seeing him? And now Iason seemed to be all the boy cared about. Katze only had eyes for his former Master.

What could it be? Raoul pondered. Was it the pretense of friendship that Iason seemed to be offering? Were the better clothes, the better things, the better life given to Katze that made the redhead act differently?

Being left out, Raoul also had time to adjust to Katze's new looks. He had to admit that the boy was looking more like a young man now, although not that much time had passed since he had seen him last. The ex-Furniture was more attractive, in a way that was stirring something inside Raoul. He looked manly, taller, his square shoulders telling a different story than that of a Furniture. Despite his slim figure, he looked well built, and even that cigarette, that Iason allowed him to smoke, was completing his looks in a way that made Katze exude confidence and masculinity. Raoul had never wanted to touch the redhead more than now; except, of course, for a certain time, that the Blondie did not want to think about it.

Katze was beautiful, Raoul realized, and this realization felt more like a pain gathered in the pit of his stomach. It was surprising, especially since pain was not something that Blondies were accustomed to. What was causing more pain though was to see the two – Master and ex-Furniture – so close. In an unconscious gesture, Raoul closed his left palm over his chest, exhaling painfully.

The two turned towards him, obviously surprised.

"Is there something wrong, Raoul?" Iason asked, clearly concerned. "You look a little pale."

"Just a little indisposition. Don't worry, Iason, I am the doctor, after all", Raoul joked, embarrassed to have been spotted so easily. "I think I must go now, and let the two of you discuss business, if that is ok with you."

"We are done here, anyways. Katze, take Raoul home", Iason instructed, and Katze now bowed formally.

Raoul wanted to protest, but the stern look in his friend's eyes stopped him in his tracks.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ANK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the car, Raoul was staring at Katze's face in the rearview mirror. Even the man's gestures while driving seemed sure and experienced, and made Raoul wonder just how much the redhead had learned in such a short time. Iason had been right, after all. He sighed, and the redhead's amber eyes stared at him suddenly into the mirror.

"Are you sure you are alright, Lord Am?"

Raoul waved his hand.

"Since you are calling Iason by his name, I would appreciate if you would call me Raoul."

Katze quirked an eyebrow in question.

"I am not sure Iason would like that."

"It's not as if he is exactly your Master anymore."

Raoul did not want to sound so snappy, but he did.

"Ok, Raoul", Katze shrugged. "As you want."

The Blondie bent, almost reaching Katze's nape.

"How did you get that scar? It was Iason, wasn't it?"

The redhead sighed nodding in agreement.

A gloved hand caressed his head gently, making him uncomfortable.

"I wish I could have been there. I would have protected you", Raoul whispered, and Katze bit his lip for a second, not really wanting to think about it.

"We're here, Raoul. You sure you're alright?"

The Blondie withdrew his hand, with regret in his eyes. Katze sauntered from the car, to open the door for the beautiful Elite. It was a quiet night, and the fresh air felt good on his skin. He carefully closed the door after Raoul, and turned to say good night.

The Blondie suddenly took his head into his hands and planted a gentle kiss on his forehead. Something boiled inside Katze; he decided to have none of it. He stilled Raoul's hands and withdrew from the touch, not missing the hurt in the green pools.

"You like him, don't you?"

Katze's eyes grew wide. What was with the pouting?

"What are you talking about, Raoul?" he spoke softly. "Iason and I are employer and employee."

"But you seem … so close."

Was that a reproach? Katze could not believe it. So that was what was bothering the Blondie's beautiful head. He opted for a bold move.

"What if I do? Does it matter?"

Raoul was silent.

'Fuck it! Even if he tells on me, it is worth it!'

He suddenly grabbed the Elite's cheeks and planted a wet kiss on his lips, swiping them, chewing them, tasting them. The Blondie took a step back, surprised.

"Katze!"

"I am not a small frightened boy anymore, Raoul. I know what I want. If you don't like it, fine, but don't get jealous out of the blue, and expect me to jump into your lap like a Pet!"

It was surprising even for Katze, to have so much guts to say such things. 'Cut him off now, you don't need the complications, you'll deal with Iason later', he told himself.

He stared directly at the Blondie, somewhat regretful. Raoul looked pretty messed up.

"Go home, Raoul. Forget what I said, what I did. I am grateful for what you taught me, but we are not there anymore. Here and now, it's different. I cannot waste my time anymore."

With that, he turned and left, leaving behind a flabbergasted Blondie, to deal with everything on his own.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

New chapter finally! And while some of you may wonder about that 'finally' moment, we are just not there yet. What can I say? A Blondie is still a Blondie. ;)

Norm120 – that little tango will just have to wait a bit (large, totally not subtle wink)

Missmokoto – you are right, Iason is not interested in Katze that way, that was just Raoul's imagination running wild … as about your question, just stick around :)

SandroFL – glad you like the story so much, your comment really made me laugh. As about the details on Karl's date, haven't thought about it just yet, although Karl will be dying to make Katze privy of all the details.

Thank you guys for reading! Your comments mean a lot to me!

Needless to say, Katze's words had not fallen on deaf ears. Raoul was twisting and turning in his bed, thinking about the scene that had taken place earlier that evening. Was the boy – the young man – coming straight at him with a suggestion of a sexual nature? If that was the case, he had to put things in order, tell him that such connections were not allowed and were unheard of amongest Blondies. He could understand that Katze, despite his intelligence, was still a Mongrel, whose ideals might include feelings like love, but Raoul was a Blondie to his core. He wanted nothing but the redhead's friendship, was that too much to ask? After what the Elite did for him? For him, a mere Furniture!

Feeling suddenly hot, Raoul threw away the blanket, and drew a quick, annoyed breathe. And what was with that kiss? How dared he?

He got up from the bed and started pacing the room. The fleeting moments of intimacy touched him like a feather. He frowned, wanting nothing but to chase away the treacherous memory. If he had known what that would mean to Katze, he would have refrained! He should have refrained! He was a Blondie, for Jupiter's sake!

"Blondies do not do such things", he whispered to himself, clinging to the code of rules that had been governing his life since his first steps into this world.

But what was the reason not to do so? Clearly, the sensual encounter from the past had showed him that there was nothing wrong with his body, that he could function, get involved in intercourse without repercussions. Of course, there were always the moral considerations, since Elites were supposed to be the embodiment of Jupiter's principles.

That being the case, had not he been the one to wrong the boy in the first place? After all, he had held Katze in his arms, without really asking him if he had wanted it, as well. Raoul felt caught in a moral dilemma, and the fresh memory of a wet, intimate kiss was not helping him to solve it right now. Unconsciously, he touched his lips, but there was nothing there.

"Such trivial things, these emotions", he pondered. There was no solid evidence of what took place earlier that evening. He just had to convince Katze that was really the case. On the other hand, Raoul's offer of friendship could have a lot of benefits, real ones that would not disappear when the night was gone. The redhead just had to understand and Raoul was determined to have an honest talk with him.

Back in bed, Raoul curled up, trying to reduce the discomfort he had felt the entire night, by gathering all the blankets between his legs. The dull ache in his loins seemed to lower a bit when his half hard organ pressed against the cool sheets. 'It will go away', he told himself, as he willed himself to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ANK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Is this the new transport?"

"Yes, Mister Katze, want to see them?"

He had not been too interested in Pets so far, but his new regained sexuality could not say 'no' to washing his eyes a little with some beauties that had just been shipped to his Midas headquarters.

The merchant dutifully arranged for three male Pets to be presented to their new boss. One of them, a blonde, drew Katze's attention from the start. His attention was not amiss with the creature designed to please. The boy flashed a gorgeous smile at him, and the redhead felt his mouth getting dry. Was it wrong, after all, to enjoy this part of life, especially since he had been given a special dispense?

"Ok, take them to the stable. My men will take care of them. I gather the pay is sufficient?"

"It could have been better, but during these trying times …"

"You can take them back, if you are unsatisfied with our deal", Katze stated, although he was not meaning a single word.

"No, no, no", the merchant raised his hands, "it is always a pleasure doing business with you. They are yours, to do with as you please."

Katze watched the blonde throwing him furtive glances. He pondered for a second, then spoke: "Leave him here. I will send him to the stable later."

"But of course", the merchant bowed, throwing him a knowing look, which irked Katze.

He ignored it, though, focused more on the Pet's lascivious moves as he walked straight at him.

The door closed, and the Pet whispered in a sensual voice: "What do you want me to do, Master?"

Katze lit another cigarette and issued a simple order: "Undress."

The command had been curt, but not sharp. The boy let his scantily clothes fall to the ground, and Katze felt molten heat gathering in his loins. He was just staring a little dazed, so the boy started shifting nervously from one foot to another. Katze shrugged.

"Just show me your skills."

The boy smiled again and came to him. Standing on his tiptoes, he grabbed his new Master's neck and kissed him passionately. These were trained Pets, whose value in his brothels would rise the reputation of the establishments, that never complained, never questioned their roles.

Katze grabbed a naked buttock, and felt his organ stiffening. The boy felt it right away and used his skilled hands to release the redhead's penis, without breaking the kiss.

It felt amazing, and Katze interrupted the kiss, in need for air. The boy interpreted the gesture as an invitation and dropped on his knees, engulfing the needy organ in his hot mouth.

The newly crowned king of the Black Market had never been sucked before, which made the Pet's ministrations even more intense. He felt like he was swallowed whole, he felt he was getting close, but he wanted more.

"On your fours", he instructed the boy, stopping his head from bobbing up and down between his legs.

The boy took a small vial from a pocket of his trousers, and with deft movements, he prepared himself and assumed the position, panting softly and waiting.

Katze did not have much personal experience in the area, but he did not want to be inconsiderate towards the blonde Pet. He pushed his fingers into the exposed whole, barely refraining a gasp at the tightness found there. The Pet moaned:

"Hurry, Master! Put it in me!"

The redhead could not tell if it was only a learned phrase, but it sounded real enough to him. He impaled himself into the Pet and started moving, wishing nothing but to prolong the amazing sensations that he was experiencing for the first time in his life. The Pet was undulating under him, using his hips to provide extra stimulation.

Katze grabbed a few strands of blonde hair, thinking of a different hue, and released himself with a grunt. He withdrew carefully and helped the boy get up.

"You will be useful", he praised the boy, caressing his hair, as the blonde yielded to the touch, just like a Pet.

Once the male Pet left, Katze let the wave of regret wash over him. Physically, he was feeling great. Emotionally, was a different matter. He whispered to himself: "I wish you were here instead, Lord Am … Raoul."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ANK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In more than one way, Katze felt that he was grateful for the gift his former Master had given to him. He was resuming his sexual life with random encounters with the pleasure Pets that were populating the Market's brothels. Sex felt great, sex was amazing, but it was giving him a clarity of mind, an edge on things, that made him believe that Iason had been right all along.

'Why do Blondies not take this opportunity?' he pondered, but he snorted right away. 'Obviously, they don't need it, they are smart and quick enough as they are. Pricks!'

The truth was that he was really wishing for a valid reason, something that would convince a certain Elite to take a trip on the wild side. However, these were nothing but mere intellectual exercises he was running in his head, about sex and its advantages. 'It's not like a Blondie will start randomly breaking the rules, just because …'

Still, he could not get his mind off Raoul, completely. It seemed like the memories concerning the Second in Command loved to pop out whenever Katze was off duty. And the redhead had to admit that Raoul was the real food for his arousal whenever he had sex with nameless Pets that were forgotten, as soon as they got up from his bed. They were nothing but substitutes, a thing that Katze was perfectly aware of. The regret stayed with him, no matter how enjoyable the sex was.

On the other hand, Katze was a practical man. The men were clearly looking up to him even more, since he had started taking Pets to his bed. His reputation was consolidating, and Iason was more than pleased with his work.

'You should be satisfied with what you have', he chided himself a thousand times. 'What's the point in moping over the one that you'll never have?'

He also had not seen Raoul in a while, and when he had, the encounters had been brief, in rooms filled with other people. Even so, Katze was cherishing every moment he could look at that beautiful aristocratic face.

He felt somewhat resigned with the outcome, and, seeing that Raoul had not told on him to Iason for his audacity, meant he was also safe from his Master's wrath. However, he was not ready for the visit that was paid to him one day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ANK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Karl opened the door and whispered to him, visibly excited:

"He's here!"

Katze frowned, not really understanding what Karl was being so worked up about, but the door opened wide, and inside his office stepped Raoul Am, in all his glory.

"Hello, Katze", he spoke softly, and the redhead stood up automatically, while Karl quickly closed the door, leaving them alone.

"Hello, Lo … Raoul. What's bringing you here?"

"What? Am I not welcome in your den?" Raoul seemed somewhat amused.

Katze quickly obliged. "Please have a seat. Pardon my manners, but this is really a surprise. All is alright?"

"Of course, don't worry. Actually, I just want to talk to you."

The redhead unconsciously reached for his cigarettes.

"Do you mind?" he remembered asking.

"By all means, go ahead. Although, as a doctor, I do not approve."

Katze took a long drag and exhaled the smoke to the ceiling, watching Raoul through his eyelashes. The Blondie seemed quite interested in making a visual inventory of all the objects in his room and he was not talking, which made the silence quite unnerving.

"So?" he broke the silence. "Is my bad habit worth you coming from Tanagura here?"

He did not want to sound harsh, especially since he now had the opportunity to look upon the face he loved. But his words just came out badly. However, Raoul did not seem to be bothered by his harshness.

"Actually, I want to talk about you and I."

Katze almost dropped the cigarette from his mouth.

"I understand that it was not correct – in the past – to lead you on about me having a special interest in you – and by 'special' I mean the romantic meaning – which is why I came here to make things clear."

The redhead frowned.

"By all means", he invited Raoul to elaborate.

"I really want us to be friends, but your foolish demands make things difficult."

"Foolish demands?" Katze snorted.

"Yes … foolish", Raoul stated, staring into the young man's eyes. "You see, Katze, Blondies are not allowed to engage in such intimacies, and, frankly, I do not see what gain you could get from it, either, other than some sort of mild entertainment."

In that instant, it dawned on Katze. Raoul was not aware of Iason's gift to his ex-Furniture. That certainly was making things more than difficult. It was not like the redhead was going to blurt out the truth, but he had to offer a solid argument, if he was not going to settle with Raoul's friendship forever. Katze knew that it was the correct and wise thing to do, but he was just not prepared to give up yet on his heart.

"If I remember correctly …", he spoke, reducing his voice to a whisper, "we can be quite intense."

Raoul's eyes grew wide. "I cannot believe you are talking about that. It was all due to an accidental intoxication and it bore no consequences whatsoever for you and me."

This time, Katze did not feel compelled to hide the hurt in his eyes. "You can speak for yourself, but, please do not do it for me, Raoul."

Raoul suddenly grabbed the edge of the desk, bending forward. "Do not dwell on such things, Katze. It will not do you any good, in the long run. Plus, I do not understand why this sex thing is so important to you. Our order has been clearly established. Only Pets are to engage in intercourse. It is a debasing act, that is only meant as means of release for creatures of inferior intelligence, whose minds do not have to focus on greater things."

Katze felt his cheeks turning red.

"You think? What if you're wrong? And where did you get this idea that it is all about sex?"

"I cannot be wrong", the Blondie huffed. "And if it is not about sex, than what is it that prevents you from accepting my friendship?"

Katze shrugged. "I am not sure I can quite explain it to you. Since you are so hardheaded and you only care about rules, it would be like explaining the color red to a person that was born blind."

"Hardheaded? Blind?" Raoul's cheeks were starting to burn, as well.

"If you feel so insulted, why don't you just leave?" Katze snapped, not really believing his own words. Here he was, throwing out the door, the only person on the surface of Amoi that meant the world to him. He was not sure why he was coming so unglued because of Raoul's words.

Raoul frowned, but did not get up. "You are the one that is hardheaded, clinging to a past that meant nothing!"

"Nothing?" Katze was the one to get up from his chair. "And, if I may ask a question, what's a Blondie to do with an ex-Furniture's, a Mongrel's, friendship? Everything that you want to know about your business with the Black Market, I can tell you without us being friends!"

"Why are you so stubborn? I thought you enjoyed my company? Have you spent so much time amongest these animals that you no longer like an intellectual challenge? A smart conversation?"

Raoul looked so determined to win the argument, that it looked strangely laughable to Katze. Why was the Elite insisting so much?

"Don't you have enough friends that are Elites like you? Or is a stupid Mongrel the only way for you to feel truly superior?"

The slap stung. Katze grabbed his cheek in disbelief. Did Raoul just slap him? The bewilderment in the Elite's eyes told that he was not the only one surprised by the outcome of their conversation.

Katze worked his jaw and laughed humorlessly. "Does this make things ok with you?"

Raoul was staring at him, breathing heavier than usual. "No, it does not." His voice was frozen.

He turned on his heels, and Katze acted on impulse. He ran after him, and grabbed his arm, stopping Raoul in his tracks.

"Ok, you won, ok?"

He was not exactly pleading, but he knew he did not want to see Raoul leaving like this, maybe never wanting to see Katze again.

To his relief, Raoul turned slowly.

"So you accept my offer? Do you understand why this is the better solution?"

"Yes, Raoul", Katze admitted plainly, although a little voice inside him was telling him that he was basically enlisting himself for plenty of misery.

Maybe he was not sincere, maybe he did not even sounded like he was honest. But Raoul looked like he wanted to be convinced.

"Then, friends?"

Katze solemnly took his hand and shook it. "Friends."

He ignored hearing his heart break. It was, after all, the only solution. For him, to be able to see Raoul. For Raoul, to continue being a Blondie.

Their moment was disturbed by a soft knock on the door. Katze let go of the Blondie's hand.

"It seems like someone else is here to see me. See you around, Raoul?"

The Blondie seemed pleased as he smiled.

"Come in", Katze spoke louder, and a delicate silhouette almost sneaked into the room.

'Bad timing!' Katze's mind screamed. The small Pet came almost running to him.

"Master Katze, Karl wasn't here, so I thought you forgot", he pouted.

Katze tried to fend off the Pet, but, before he could react, the youngster embraced him and planted a wet kiss on his lips. The redhead did not dare look at Raoul. Embarrassed, he unglued himself from the hot embrace.

"I have someone here, Kai", he chided, and it seemed like the Pet had just seen Raoul.

He turned, and quickly executed a gracious bow, visibly bewildered by the Blondie's presence. "I apologize, my Lord", he whispered.

Raoul did not say anything. "See me out, Katze, please."

"Kai, just don't break anything, ok? I will be back right away", the redhead quickly commanded and hurried to accompany the Blondie, who was already at the door.

The Pet remained bowed, until the two left the room.

Katze was barely keeping up with Raoul's large stride. The Elite seemed stiff and his mouth became a thin line.

"Who was that?" he asked in a harsh tone.

"That … is a Pet from the stables", Katze hesitated. 'To hell, you want to be friends' the redhead spoke to himself.

"And what is he doing in your office at lunch time?"

Katze was somewhat certain that answering 'He is there for a quickie' was not going to do him any good. However, he did not want to lie. After all, rubbing Raoul's nose in it could be fun.

"He is there to provide his services" he stated plainly.

"To whom?" Raoul huffed.

"To whom? Isn't it obvious?" Katze almost snorted.

"You? But …"

It was funny to see Raoul lost for words. It did not last though.

"Getting this low with a Pet is not becoming of you, Katze."

"Why? I am not a Blondie", the redhead shrugged. "I do not share your high values. I hope that our friendship does not entail me to sworn celibacy. I am not sure I can."

Raoul blinked, somewhat confused. "But I do not understand what could you obtain from letting yourself …"

The Blondie stopped again, searching for proper words, so Katze hurried to help.

"Penetrated by a Pet, you mean?"

Raoul nodded, in obvious discomfort.

"But I am not, I am actually the one doing the penetration."

Katze felt like laughing his heart out seeing the look on Raoul's face. After all, everyone now knew Katze as a whole man, why keep it a secret from Raoul Am?

"He did, didn't he? He gave you back …?"

Raoul looked perfectly shocked.

"Yes, and I must admit that I am more than grateful. It is incredibly pleasant", Katze slurred the words, gauging the Elite's reactions.

"Still friends?" he asked again, seeing that Raoul did not know what to say.

"Of course", the Elite murmured. "This does not change anything", he added, quickly regaining his composure.

'Like hell it doesn't', Katze noticed with satisfaction how this new piece of information looked like a tough nut to crack for the Blondie.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ANK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was unnerving to think about Katze embracing that cheap whore, Raoul mused, while trying to get back to sleep. He had always been a sound sleeper, but, lately, sleep did not seem to be such a good friend to him. Nagging thoughts involving a certain redhead were coming and going, like uninvited guests. It was, however, futile, to consider moving things in other directions than the one that had already been traced; as a Blondie, Raoul Am knew that getting involved more with a Mongrel, even an exceptional one such as Katze, was strictly forbidden. Yet, seeing him with another man, another person that was clearly interested sexually in Katze, was irking Raoul to no end. The Elite hated the thought, he had tried to banish it, but it was always there, when he least expected it.

Countless times, he had tried to mentally address the problem; yet, it seems that it was a dead end. Even the Elite had to admit that it was bothering him. 'Iason should have never given him back that! Anything but that!' It was also strange how Raoul always ended up blaming the redhead for all this, when the arguments in his head seemed to annihilate one another, always leaving him with no actual conclusion whatsoever.

'It's not like he cannot live without it! He has done it well until now, so why is he putting so much value on it?' The truth was that the Blondie had no idea what exactly this sex thing meant to Katze, since he had refrained from asking him intimate questions regarding his new found sexuality. Also, their casual conversations, usually revolving around Black Market affairs and what was happening in Raoul's labs, left no room for any of them to talk about personal things. Katze seemed detached, polite, no longer watching Raoul with that certain gleam in his eyes, and the Elite felt as if he had lost something. He knew that he had been the one to put things straight, so why was this bothering him so much? For the very first time in his life, he was finding himself at a loss.

Life used to be so predictable and Raoul Am had been fine with it. The routine had advantages, and everything had its designated place. However, what he was feeling about Katze had no place in a Blondie's life. He had thought that one solution was to stop seeing the redhead altogether, but not seeing him – when Iason had sent the boy to take hold of the Black Market – had been painful too.

He needed to talk to someone. His own mind failed to grasp what was really going on.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ANK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"It is not often I see you so concerned. Is there something bothering you?"

Releasing a small sigh, Raoul leaned on the back of the sofa with a tired look on his face. Iason watched him, clearly intrigued.

"I am supposed to be the psychologist. Should you really be bothered with how I feel?"

"You are my friend", Iason stated plainly. "Maybe you need an outsider's point of view."

"We are such intelligent creatures", Raoul monotonously spoke. "We were created with the noblest purpose in mind, sublime and superior to anything else. We are perfection."

Iason nodded quietly. Raoul continued:

"We are not supposed to be taken by surprise by anything. Everything that has to be known is already known, the order was established a long time ago and we are the ones in charge of maintaining it. So when order is threatened, how do we deal with it?"

"We eliminate it. There is no point in letting loose ends bothering us, it would not benefit us, or Jupiter's order", Iason carefully responded.

"What if we cannot? What if, somewhere, deep within our brains, whose main role is to strive for perfection, there is an insatiable need for what is flawed and imperfect?"

Iason quirked an eyebrow.

"You are talking about Katze aren't you?"

Raoul just nodded quietly.

"This is not a little imperfection to be corrected. Even I, despite my initial disbelief, had to admit that you were right about him. Such an exceptional mind, in a body that does not belong to one of ours. He is, I must say, irreplaceable now."

A little pause followed, then Iason continued, his eyes wandering off the window, over Tanagura:

"But what is it that is bothering you about him so much that you felt the need to come to me? You rarely do so."

Raoul grabbed his temples with his long digits, massaging them.

"It is hard to pinpoint. I enjoy his mind, but I am uncomfortable about … how should I say? … physical presence?"

"There is a simple solution. Do not see him anymore."

A cloud passed over Raoul's face. "I doubt I can do that."

"And why is that, exactly? I can have him stay permanently in Midas, and, since you rarely leave Tanagura, chances of bumping into him will become rather slim. However, I am not sure I understand the root of your discomfort."

Raoul pondered for a second. "Do you know he is taking Pets to his bed now?"

Iason nodded. "I know. And I am the one that encouraged him to do so. I think it is giving him a nice edge over his men. They respond well to masculinity patterns that have been imprinted in their minds by their inferior existence."

"I really doubt it is becoming for him to bed Pets like this. It is debasing and vulgar!"

Raoul seemed agitated for some reason. However Iason responded coldly:

"I will not forbid him to have intercourse. Take that thought out of your mind. He is clearly better now, and the benefits for our business are not a trifle matter to easily dispose of."

Raoul caught his temples into his hands, while conflicted emotions passed over his face in a blink of a second.

"Why do you think intercourse is forbidden for Blondies?"

The question came somehow out of the blue, and Iason had to admit that he had not expected Raoul to be so straightforward about the matter.

"It is not for us to question Jupiter's ways."

"Don't give me a textbook reply!" Raoul spat in sudden anger, taking Iason even more by surprise.

Iason smiled thinly. "What is going on Raoul? Are you thinking about bedding Katze?"

The look on Raoul's face spoke volumes. "This is preposterous! How can you even think of such a thing, Iason?"

"If this is not what is bothering you, why question Jupiter's laws about Blondies' sexuality? Can you even explain yourself?"

"But are there even written laws about this?" Raoul avoided a straight answer.

"Not in black and white, if you are asking, but it would be debasing for a Blondie to descend to the level of a low class human, to taint his flesh …"

"How would you know?" Raoul's pained reply came.

Seeing his friend's contorted face, Iason rose from his spot and sat next to him. "What do you feel exactly, Raoul?"

Raoul smiled bitterly. "Like I no longer know who I am."

Iason frowned. "Do not let anyone know about this. This infatuation, you must solve it, somehow."

"What am I supposed to do? It drives me insane to think of Katze taking … them."

The last word was spat in disgust.

Iason placed a hand on his shoulder. "You are still a Blondie, Raoul. However If this is what it takes, then you can have a bit of leeway with Katze. I will not stand against it. But make sure that the replacement for his … new found hobby is enough. The unpredictable element must be eliminated. Just remember, keeping up the appearance is all that matters."

Some of the pain on Raoul's face seemed to dissipate at Iason's words.

"Are you sure about this?"

"We run the Black Market, while we pretend to be flawless here, in our ivory tower. It is just a game of give and take. We are the strongest, because we allow ourselves to use our abilities in ways that transcend morale conventions. Just make sure you do not get caught up in your own game. And, Raoul," Iason paused, looking straight into Raoul's eyes, "I will not have a Mongrel yanking your chain. Put things in order in the best way possible for yourself. I will not interfere unless things get out of hand."

Raoul closed his eyes in understanding. Iason had surprised him with his explanations, the way he turned things around, to have them serve him, despite all odds.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ANK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After Raoul's departure, Iason was left alone with his thoughts. His friend had seemed so restless lately. The experiment was, once again, put in motion. But to what end? Iason knew that there was no written law for Blondies to avoid physical intimacy at all costs, and he was actually seeing it as an overzealous reaction of his bretheren, rooting in their need to assume perfection in all matters. To some point, he could understand Raoul and his reactions. The Second in Command had been dangerously attracted to the Mongrel Furniture from the very beginning. An illicit affair, if gone public, would transform into a disaster. But he knew Raoul would never survive that sort of publicity.

On the other hand, Iason's interest was more than piqued. Raoul was daring to break rules – even unwritten – and it could only mean one thing.

Progress.

Iason took a small sip from his wine as he reflected. He, himself, Head of the Syndicate, was breaking the rules in his own way, but being involved in the Black Market only brought benefits to Tanagura, even if in unofficial ways. On the other hand, Raoul was doing something solely for his own benefit. It could be said that he had become an egoist. Yet, Iason had to admit. Serving the organization and only it was taking them nowhere. The prosperity of Amoi was at its peak. Business was flourishing. But Iason could feel it in the still air of Tanagura; everywhere, at parties, where beautiful brainless Pets were put on display; in the conference rooms, where Blondies debated a new financial goal for the upcoming semester; in their own lavish penthouses, where they were served by human appliances, installed there for their comfort only. It was nothingness; in their hearts and minds, all Blondies looked and behaved exactly the same; it was like death, only that they kept on living. Raoul was breaking the pattern. If it was for the best or the worst, Iason could not tell. But it was change and its potential could not be overlooked by the powerful Iason Mink.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ANK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"What is it that you like so much about them?"

"About who?" Katze pretended to fail understanding the question.

"Pets."

Raoul seemed annoyed, and Katze was not exactly in the mood for his tantrums. When he was getting into one of his hissy fits, Raoul could be quite bothersome. He initiated arguments that never seemed to end, until Katze felt his mind was about to explode from trying to counterattack all of his opponent's mental attacks, on the ground of logic. Raoul never stopped until he had complete satisfaction, and Katze hated to admit that despite the thrill he was getting from this intellectual sparring, he was becoming rather tired.

"They are aesthetically pleasing, they are designed to offer pleasure, so what's not to like?" he offered, but it was clear that Raoul was far from feeling satisfied with such a simple answer.

"But why are you enjoying them so much?"

Katze took a deep breath. This was going to be hard.

"As a scientist, Raoul, I suppose you understand how the sexual system works in humans."

"Of course", the Elite almost snorted.

"I find this type of release to be incredibly enjoyable, and they are the ones to provide it. It is that simple", Katze almost begged, not feeling incredibly comfortable talking to Raoul about his sex life.

"But is there more to it?" the Blondie enquired further.

"Do you want to know about eventual affection involved?" Katze asked, not really understanding the Blondie's sudden interest in the matter.

Raoul nodded.

"I cannot say I have, but I suppose I will take, at some point, a pairing partner, like others."

"Why?"

The question sounded a little harsh. Katze felt cornered.

"Why? Because it would feel good, to have someone waiting for you all the time, caring …"

"But you have Karl", the Blondie wanted to point out.

"Are you kidding me? Karl is just a friend", Katze snorted, not really buying the fact that Raoul was playing the oblivious act with him.

"Can … friends not do things like this?"

Katze was glad he had put his drink down, or otherwise he would have chocked. What was Raoul playing at? Especially since they were now on the Blondie's ground, as Raoul did not want to visit Katze too much, in his Midas apartment.

"Well, I think they can, but such friendships usually evolve into full fledged relationships. But what is the point in asking me this?"

Raoul pondered for a while, then he continued like he had never heard the question.

"What do you feel when you kiss them?"

'I get a boner' was the phrase sitting on Katze's lips, but he knew just how crazy Raoul would get for the slightest sexual references.

"I usually skip that part, or I do not dwell much on it."

It was basically the truth, since Katze liked sex more for its release function, then for other, more elaborate, benefits.

"But do you like … kissing?"

"It's pleasant, but I'd rather do it with the one I really like", he pointed out, trying to avoid Raoul's eyes.

"And is there such a person?" Raoul asked, matter-of-factly.

Katze cursed inwardly.

"Do you really have to ask?" he replied, clearly annoyed. "You were the one to set boundaries and said that we should never dwell on this!"

For some unfathomable reason, Raoul seemed pleased.

"I", Raoul offered on an imperial tone, "am willing to allow … this kissing happening between us, just so that I see why you are so worked up about it."

Katze blinked a few times in confusion.

"You … what?"

"Yes, you heard correctly. Keep in mind that it is just an experiment and that I would not allow anything else to develop."

"You won't, huh?" Katze murmured, his eyes locked on Raoul's lips.

"So, what do you say?" Raoul asked, a little unnerved by Katze's lack of reaction.

Katze stared at him in disbelief. "What? Like now?"

Raoul nodded.

"Ok, but if you punch me, I won't talk to you for two weeks."

It was more than Katze dreamed of. What had gotten into Raoul, he could not tell, and it was an irking sensation that he was played shamelessly by the Blondie. However, he felt like a horny dog, and he was not willing to let this opportunity pass. He grabbed the Blondie's lapel and dragged him into a searing kiss. Raoul opened his mouth on cue, letting the redhead explore the crevices of his mouth in all their smallest details. A skilled tongue delved deeper, making the Blondie react and participate in the kiss.

For Raoul, it was reawakening memories of other stolen kisses, when he had laid Katze on a bed and taken his virginity. The thought itself triggered something so intense inside him, that he embraced the redhead with all his might, taking him a little by surprise.

The redhead, however, was not one to be taken aback so easily, so he climbed the Elite's lap, prolonging the kiss, unwilling to let go, even for the occasional breathing.

The kiss was intimate and intense; it was wet and it was real, and Raoul had never imagined that he would feel shaken to his core by such a trifling thing. He was responding in kind, using his tongue to discover Katze's hot cavern, imprinting his taste in his mind once more. His hands were caressing the man's back, making the redhead shiver slightly.

Deft hands found purchase in button, as Katze made his move. Touching a bit of skin, at the base of the neck, almost burned him.

The kiss suddenly stopped and Raoul withdrew. Carefully, he took the fabric from Katze's hands and buttoned himself back up. Katze stared at him in disbelief.

"Are you frigging kidding me?"

"Only kissing. That is the deal", Raoul spoke softly, still feeling the waves of pleasure rippling through his body.

With a sigh, Katze got up from his lap, straightening his clothes, and passing a hand through his hair in exasperation.

"You make me horny as hell, Blondie", he whispered.

Raoul blushed.

"Kissing is pleasant. But I cannot allow anything more to happen."

Katze took a deep breath. "Do you want to do it again?" he asked in pure disbelief.

Raoul nodded.

The redhead started pacing the room. "Raoul, this is fucked up and strange. Not even teenagers without pairing partners are doing this little."

"There is nothing more I can offer you. If you promise me you will not kiss Pets from now on, I will kiss you in return for your loss."

Katze almost felt like laughing. "You cannot know what I do when I am not with you", he defied.

"I know you are a man of honor", Raoul added.

Katze shrugged in disbelief. This was practically insane.

"Do you need more time to think about it?" Raoul offered generously.

"Nah, not really", Katze shook off the thought, and, without further ado, he grabbed the Blondie's head once more and kissed him deeply.

He was the one to break the kiss, relishing in the image of a phased out Raoul, his lips moist, eyes unfocused at half mast, and a small blush coloring the upper cheeks.

"I must go", he whispered, licking his lips. "But rest assured, I will keep you to your promise. Too bad I don't have enough time to play with you right now."

'Play?' Raoul's eyes grew wide, but Katze was already gone, leaving the Blondie alone with his thoughts. Even now, the redhead looked like he had the upper hand, despite the initial surprise.

Raoul felt a little annoyed. The ex-Furniture was way too experienced. It made Raoul look like a small child, in comparison. And the Elite would not have any of it. He was determined now to best Katze in this new game of seduction. From their shared history, he knew that the redhaired Mongrel would provide plenty of challenge, as he seemed to be resilient and always bounced back, even under dire circumstances.

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

Special thanks to SandroFL, for being the amazing reviewer she is! More playtime, dear, yes, yes, yes! As for your question, I basically mean Blondies, as I am too stuck in the first OVAs when I had no ideas they were other Elites and such. I hope you will continue to enjoy!

Thank you all for reading!

Upon leaving Raoul's penthouse, Katze felt light as a feather. He knew that the kiss might not have been much, but he was finally given something to work with. 'Your armor is chipped, my gorgeous Blondie', he thought to himself, determined to make the best of the situation.

He could tell that being seen with the small Pet not so long ago triggered something in Raoul's, otherwise perfect logic and reasoning. For an Elite, to react emotionally was unusual, and Katze did not want to let the opportunity slip.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~UAU~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A second encounter was about to make things even more interesting.

Raoul was the one to open the door, so Katze felt compelled to ask:

"Where is your Furniture?"

"I sent him on an errand. It should take him at least two hours to get back."

'All alone', Katze smiled, barely refraining from whistling a chirpy tune. Raoul clearly had something on his mind, and the redhead was more than happy to offer a piece of his, along with other things.

They both remained quiet, while Raoul guided Katze through the maze of his penthouse, towards a room that the Mongrel had not seen before. When the door opened, the realization hit Katze.

"Is this your bedroom?"

He was about to ask Raoul what they were supposed to do there, when he was forcefully grabbed and practically thrown on the bed, with the Elite on top of him. Raoul's mouth descended rapidly over his, demanding to be kissed.

Katze had not expected the Blondie to be more into this than him. It was pleasant, no doubt about it, to have the perfect male specimen glued to his body and exchanging fluids. It was not only the kiss, but also the rubbing happening between their bodies that made Katze more than aroused. It was imprinting a renewed need to touch into his nerves, so his hands started wandering, finding purchase in clothed buttocks that deliciously moulded into his hands.

Raoul abruptly terminated the kiss, becoming rigid. He got up from atop of Katze, and the look in his eyes said that he was not pleased. Katze stared at him in disbelief.

"C'mon, Raoul. What's the point in bringing me here, sending away your Furniture so we can be alone, and kissing me like this, if you are not going to put up?"

"Get up", came the harsh command, and the redhead could tell something was off.

With a sigh, he stood up, and positioned himself in front of Raoul, his hands on his hips.

"What? You are going to punish me for the insolence of touching your royal bum, or do you plan on staying there, looking frigid like you usually are?"

Katze knew that his words must have stung, from Raoul's change of countenance. He was in for a long lecturing session, so he sighed. However, Raoul's next command came from left field.

"Undress."

Plain and simple. Katze would have objected, but, at this stage, he was unsure if he wanted the game to stop. He started to undress, throwing his coat casually on the back of a chair, and casting sidelong glances towards his would be tormentor. He knew he had a good looking body now, and he wanted to show off.

He took off his shirt, allowing Raoul's eyes to glide over his taut abdomen and chiseled chest. Slowly, he removed his shoes and socks, then he stood up, and threw a challenging glance towards Raoul. 'Are you ready?' Katze warned without words, speaking only with his eyes.

His deft hands caressed the leather belt, then unbuttoned the pants, letting them fall. He stopped while in his underwear, addressing the unspoken question.

"E-very-thing", Raoul spelled, clearly determined.

Katze barely refrained a smile of triumph. Hooking his fingers into the waistband of his underwear, he let the final piece of clothing slip from his figure.

Raoul's eyes descended on his sex and remained glued there. Katze was becoming hard only from the Elite checking him with his eyes.

"There is something I must bring up to your attention", he attempted a joke, but it was clear Raoul was not in the mood for jokes.

The Elite suddenly grabbed the youngster's penis, while cupping his balls with the other hand. Katze gasped. What was the Blondie thinking?

Without looking at Katze, Raoul concentrated on giving the turgid organ an efficient rubbing. The redhead had to place his hands on Raoul's shoulders in order to steady himself. He wanted to kiss the Elite now, but Raoul was too stiff to try anything. It was clear that the only thing he was allowed was to enjoy being jerked off clinically.

The bad part was that it was working, and soon, with a moan, shuddering from his entire body, Katze came into the Blondie's skilled hands. He was breathing hard, and, at the same time, felt empty. The release had been good, but it had been mechanical. He was not sure he liked this kind of game. He took a few steps back and, with his head cast down, he started searching for his clothes he had thrown around the room.

"What are you doing?"

The Blondie's tone seemed genuinely interested.

"I am dressing and am ready to leave. You put me well in my place, thank you, Raoul. I won't be bothering …"

Katze's words were muffled by a kiss.

"Shut up", came a breathed recommendation, through wet slurps.

There was passion in that kiss, unlike the masturbation session that had just taken place. The redhead was confused. He broke the kiss and stared into Raoul's eyes.

"What is happening, Raoul? Give me a clue, or I will go crazy …"

"Well, you mentioned the kisses are making you horny, so I wanted to make sure that there will be nothing hindering our kissing experiment or bringing it to a sudden halt. By the way, congratulations on your recovery, everything works just fine."

Katze's jaw almost fell to the ground. However, Raoul resumed his kissing, clearly interested only in obtaining pleasure this way. It felt good and wrong in the same time, so he stopped the Blondie again.

"At least, let me dress."

"No", came the curt reply. "In case you feel aroused again, I will be able to handle things right away."

"What? You'll give me hand jobs on demand?" Katze found the idea pretty funny.

"Not on demand, only when needed", Raoul stated matter-of-factly.

This Blondie was weird.

"So, you really are into this kissing stuff?" Katze wondered, but he did not mind when, instead of an answer, he received another wet and sexy kiss.

Raoul's silk garments felt delicious on his naked skin. He was pretty sure the Elite's aristocratic hands would have to get to work pretty soon.

This time, Raoul no longer interrupted the kiss. He grabbed the organ begging for attention with infinite care, and started pumping, without letting go of Katze's mouth.

The redhead moaned into the kiss. He let go of Raoul's lips to breathe:

"I will dirty your nice clothes, Raoul. What will your Furniture say when he will see semen stains on your garments?"

"Don't worry", hot air was blown over his already heated cheeks. "I will personally throw the things into the washing machine, and accidentally start the program."

"You are completely out of your mind", Katze whispered back, trying hard not to come again all over the said clothes. "At least, let me clean them for you."

It was completely messed up to have such a domestic conversation, while being handled by skilled hands, and trying hard to stay away from the Elite's torrid kisses. But it was the only way to deal with a Blondie gone cuckoo, in order to keep up appearances for the sake of the outside world.

Raoul quickly agreed to his solution and resumed his maddening kisses. Katze could tell the Elite was progressing at tremendous speeds, beating him up in this game of seduction.

Not that he minded losing, especially since another wave of pleasure rippled through him, making him spend himself into the Elite's arms once more.

It was painfully pleasurable how Raoul did not let go off his penis between ejaculations. It forced Katze into a veritable marathon, and, after another round, Katze was really feeling spent.

"No more", he begged, and the Elite finally released him.

Nonchalantly, Raoul took off his silk gown, remaining in only a pair of tight fitting pants and a shirt.

"I believe you said you will take care of this."

With a growl, Katze got up from the bed. He took the stained garment and folded it carefully. He was barely standing up, and it was all Raoul's doing.

The Blondie came to him again and kiss him gently this time.

"I hope you will not visit those damaged Pets tonight", he whispered against Katze's moist lips.

The redhead laughed humorlessly. "I couldn't get it up even if I wanted to."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~UAU~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Business has been good."

It was not like Katze to initiate a conversation, but Iason's silence was quite unnerving, while he was chauffeuring him back to Tanagura.

"Yes …" for some reason Iason slurred his answer. "Your closeness to Raoul seems to be quite productive, does it not?"

Katze felt like he was suddenly tongue-tied. How much did Iason know?

The Blondie chuckled. "No need to be shy now. You succeeded in capturing his attention, this is really an achievement. So, is he providing enough entertainment? Or is it you who is providing it?"

Katze gulped, nervously grabbing and releasing the wheel.

"I don't know how much he tells you …" he muttered, in obvious discomfort.

"Relax, Katze. In my opinion, not enough. And no, I will not ask you for details, knowing you cannot say no."

The redhead sighed in relief. "Thank you, Iason."

"Capitulation of the strongest", Iason murmured, mostly to himself.

"What do you mean?" Katze dared to ask.

A small grunt was the only answer. Apparently, Iason was no longer in the mood to talk. Too often, he was falling pensive these days, and Katze had noticed. His eyes were wandering off the window of the limousine, taking in the tacky lights of Midas. Turning at a corner, Katze noticed a group of men roughly handling a youngster. 'Poor fucker', the redhead mused, seeing how the teen was fighting with all his might, staving off his attackers' assaults. But Katze knew from experience now that no amount of skill and training surpassed numbers. It was just a matter of time until the boy was going to get creamed. Scenes like this were taking place every day. Katze himself was amazed at his own capability of growing cold to human suffering. Yet, somehow, seeing how the dark haired boy was fighting drew his attention. He was about to turn towards Iason and ask for permission to intervene, when Iason spoke:

"Stop."

The swish of the limousine wheels brought to a halt made the boy turn his head for a blink of a second. His attackers took advantage right away and knocked him to the ground. Katze's eyes grew bigger at the familiar flash of a laser knife. He knew, in that very instant, that it was too late to save the boy.

Suddenly, a familiar broad back, on which waves of platinum hair fell blocked his view. 'Iason? When the fuck did you step out of the car?'

A loud shriek and the man holding the laser knife moments ago flew through the air like a rag doll. Katze's mouth fell wide open. Why didn't Iason ask him to intervene?

The rest of the boy's assailants were now running away, screaming. Katze was too far away to hear clearly what was happening, but he could tell a conversation was taking place between the savior and the saved.

The raven haired youth passed by Iason and, placing his hands in his pockets, he made a small nod with his head. Katze knew that sign and what it meant in body language. He was already smirking, as he figured out how the boy intended to pay Iason for coming to his rescue; he knew Iason would tell him off, and he made a mental note to look for the kid. He showed promise.

He took a cigarette and picked up the lighter. But what he saw in the rear view mirror made him drop the cig from his lips. Iason was following the boy, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Iason? What the fuck are you doing?"

But Iason was already too far away to hear him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~UAU~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He was waiting for an hour or so in the front of the shady establishment, when he finally saw Iason coming out. He hurried out of the limousine and held the door for the Blondie. Somehow, the Elite seemed surprised seeing him there.

"I thought you still needed a lift", he said and Iason nodded.

A surreptitious look towards his boss was enough to notice. Iason no longer wore his white gloves.

Curiosity was eating at him, but he refrained from asking questions. It was not his place to do so.

Iason was silent. It was clear he was intensively thinking about something.

"Katze", he finally spoke. "Keep an eye on the local auctions. See if a Pet coin appears on the market."

"Ok, Iason. Anything else?"

Katze feigned indifference, but he was dying to hear more from Iason.

"Yes. Find out more about him. See if he is looking for work. If he does, hire him."

The redhead knew who Iason was talking about.

"If you don't mind, Iason, what do you want with him?"

Iason stared through the window blankly.

"I do not know yet. Just put him to a test, see what he is made of, and get back to me."

"Roger that", Katze murmured, still very much surprised with his boss' interest in what appeared to be nothing more than Mongrel trash.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~UAU~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It had been fairly easy to discover the boy and learn his whereabouts. Of course he was looking for work, all Mongrels stuck in Ceres were, and it had been a piece of cake to hire him.

What had taken Katze by surprise, though, had been the kid's ability to pass his tests. 'He would be a good worker for the organization', Katze thought, now looking forward to meet the boy in person.

A determined knock on the door let him know his guest had arrived.

"Come in", he spoke loudly, quickly hiding his excitement about seeing up close the Mongrel capable of arousing such a particular interest in his ice Master.

When the boy entered the room, it took Katze a few good seconds to not stare. He was truly beautiful, in a ruffian way, with dark smooth skin, deep black eyes, and raven hair. His boyish figure was completed by a cute face, with full enticing lips, high cheekbones, and an almost aristocratic nose.

While Katze quickly hid his reaction to the boy's beauty, not the same thing happened with the guest. He was clearly seizing Katze up, the mischievous look in his eyes telling all about what he was thinking about the redhead. Suddenly, the boy's countenance changed.

'Ah, the scar!' Katze had learned to be grateful to Iason for that 'gift', since it put off those that made the mistake of seeing the fearsome head of the Black Market, as some sort of a cutie, that men would rather take to bed than follow his orders.

"Riki the Dark", he spoke first, "welcome to the Black Market."

The boy murmured a 'thanks', with a slight bow almost imperceptible and awkward. Katze showed him a chair, and the dark haired one sat right away.

"I must say I was impressed with how well you did. Not many newcomers are as versatile as you."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~UAU~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So, how is he doing?"

"Actually, he is doing great. I think he is a great addition to our organization."

"Do not grow too attached, Katze."

The redhead frowned.

"Did he wrong you in any way? I am sure it was all because he is still young and a little stupid. I will make sure that …"

A simple annoyed wave of hand hushed Katze.

"I do not intend to eliminate him or anything similar. I just have other plans for him."

Again, the redhead did not dare ask too much. Iason continued:

"Make sure he attends the auction that will be held at Mistral Park, next week."

"Yes, Iason."

With a bow, Katze left, leaving Iason alone with his thoughts.

The whirlpool of emotions that were now inhabiting the Blondie's mind was hard to explain, and even difficult to understand by Iason himself. He had tasted the boy; he had wanted to do that and he had done it. Just like that. Taboos? All forgotten. Unwritten rules? Thrown to the wind. The raven hair youth had entered his mind using the front door and he had not shown any signs of leaving yet. Iason's obsession was growing, and watching the Mongrel from afar was simply not working anymore.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~UAU~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"How are things between you and Katze?"

Raoul bent slightly to hear Iason's whispered words.

"I am totally in control", he commented, looking pleased.

For some unfathomable reason, his answer irked his longtime friend. Iason was frowning.

"How … do you handle it?"

"What do you mean?" Raoul quirked an eyebrow.

Iason's eyes wandered off the window, over the majestic city.

"The desire."

"Desire?" Raoul was surprised. "He is feeling it, I will admit to using it as a tool I use to control Katze, so that he does not steer away from me."

"I am not talking about his desire", Iason spoke softly. "I am talking about yours."

"Mine?"

"Are you telling me that you are experimenting with physical closeness to Katze, and you do not feel a thing?"

"Of course I do, I am not made of stone. But it is not Blondie like to debase oneself in such a vulgar way."

Iason's countenance turned bleak. "So you just refrain? From touching him?"

Raoul felt a little uncomfortable. Never before had Iason been so direct about his involvement with Katze, although he had said he was condoning it.

"I … do touch him. But it is all for his pleasure. I am not using him in such a fashion. I am simply providing him with the entertainment he needs so he stays away from those disgusting Pets."

"Do you feel like you own him? Like he is your Pet and you are taking care of his needs, like a good Master?"

"No!" Raoul almost shouted. "I do not think this way about Katze. He is well above those brainless creatures. I just … need to keep him close. I am not sure I can explain it properly. I do not want him around them."

"But aren't you unsure of him? Maybe he just goes with them behind your back", Iason spoke morosely.

"Iason, I trust Katze."

Although the words were spoken with determination, a small sensation of uncertainty was creeping into Raoul's mind.

"What if he gets bored and tells you off?" Iason continued his tirade, seemingly more and more annoyed with something Raoul could not pinpoint.

"Why would he?" Raoul shrugged, although the seed of distrust was now rooting into his brain.

"You cannot keep him. He is almost a free man."

Raoul snorted.

"What do you want me to do? Chain him?"

"You are telling me you have not thought about it?"

"Iason, this is Katze we are talking about. He is an intelligent, superior human being. He is your associate. I would never dare depriving you of such an asset, just out of a whim. Plus, I do not think he would appreciate being treated like that. And I do not want to hurt him in any way."

"You grow even more compassionate, Raoul."

"Is this your way of telling me that I am weak?" Raoul frowned, irked to no end by the conversation.

"No, Raoul. Actually, I think that, between you and I, you are the better Blondie."

Iason's words were covering an enigma. Raoul felt something of importance slipping through his fingers.

"Is there something going on? Something I should worry about?" he asked, his concern truthful.

"No, my friend", Iason waved his hand. "I am just thinking too much these days."

Raoul was not really buying it, but he let it go. He was certain his longtime friend would eventually come to him for advice.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~UAU~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Still, Iason's words were echoing in his mind. Would Katze get bored of all that kissing and the occasional masturbation sessions? The redhead seemed pleased with what was given, but Raoul could not say if the situation was going to last or not. Chaining Katze? As a kink, the thought did have its appeal, but just imagining the redhead reduced to a simple toy was making Raoul cringe. That was not what he wanted from the dealer. He was looking for his admiration, for his understanding, and, although Raoul Am was unsure of how to put it, for his love. The look in those amber pools, each time they stared at the Elite, was making his heart grow fonder. Raoul had never imagined before how much of an exquisite pleasure he would find in such small things. He felt like he could not go without that anymore.

But, then again, there was the problem of a Mongrel getting bored, as Iason had so bluntly put it. Raoul could not deny the sensation of uncertainty that now dwelt with him. Those Pets were clearly up to doing all kinds of dirty stuff, and maybe Katze had already gotten used to a certain level of stimulation that maybe the Elite was not capable of providing. Raoul could not have Katze running back to those vulgar Pets. He had to do something.

He hurried home and sent his Furniture away, despite the surprised look on the boy's face. He quickly dialed the redhead's number.

"I want to see you. Now."

Had he sounded too impatient? Maybe he had worried Katze, but nothing pleased Raoul more than having the dealer rush to him, at his beck and call.

This time was no different. Fifteen minutes barely passed when the redhead landed on the Elite's doorsteps.

"What's burning?" Katze asked, upon entering the Blondie's penthouse. "You seemed worried."

Raoul took the man's cheeks in his palms and kissed him. "Nothing. I just had to see you."

Raoul was not much of a talker regarding his thoughts about the dealer. So, simple words like that were always cherished by the redhead.

The Elite took his hand and guided him on the now well known route to his bedroom. Katze snickered.

"Raoul, seeing that you never do this for yourself, it is really funny to see you so eager."

Raoul frowned and turned towards Katze. "I do not think this is a joke."

Katze scolded himself inwardly. 'Big mouth! Now maybe he won't do it.'

"Sorry, Raoul, really sorry. Just ignore my stupid comments."

For some reason, Raoul seemed restless. He pushed Katze on his back on the bed, and carefully started to undress him. The redhead was letting him, his ambers barely hiding his surprise. Raoul was usually asking him to do that, and, besides kissing and masturbating him, he did not touch that much. Now, the Blondie looked really absorbed by a nasty button on Katze's shirt that was refusing to obey.

The redhead covered the gloved hands, attempting to help, but the Blondie almost slapped his long digits.

"Let me", came the command and Katze just let Raoul have his way, resuming his observation of the Elite's curious behavior.

With his torso completely unclothed, Katze was relishing the feather light touches. It was as if Raoul was discovering him for the first time. A long finger followed the form of Katze's perfect six pack, dwelling on each mound, on each valley, like he wanted to memorize it forever.

Katze was becoming aroused from seeing this shy Raoul.

"What things did you do with Pets?"

That again. Katze drew an exasperated sigh.

"Raoul, I told you I am not seeing them anymore. Even the boys at work are gossiping that I have found that 'special someone'."

"I did not ask you that."

"Why? You are never comfortable with the subject."

"I want to know."

What was the Blondie scheming? Raoul was, after all, quite drastic about satisfying the Mongrel until he could barely walk, after visiting the Elite.

"Fine, fine. But don't tell me I did not warn you."

He waited for a moment until the capricious Blondie lowered his eyelids, in acceptance.

"They … uh … hm, … used to suck me dry. And I used to fuck them."

Katze drew an audible breath. No sugarcoating from his part this time. Raoul was not getting any for his demands of hearing exactly what had gone between his favorite Mongrel and random Pets.

"And it felt good?"

Raoul seemed very interested.

"Of course it did", Katze snorted, trying hard to ignore the gloved hand touching his chest, brushing over his hardening nipples.

Raoul raised his head and kissed Katze shortly on the lips.

"What would make you happy? Just tell me."

"Are you serious? 'Cause if you're not, and I end up thrown out the door, with a raging hard on, I don't think I will forgive you that easy", the dealer joked.

"Yes, I am serious."

Emerald orbs looked into amber pools, keeping their promise. Katze raised his hand and caressed a long strand of copperish blonde.

"Frankly, I would give all the blowjobs I had in my life or I will ever have for having you, all naked, standing next to me."

Raoul's eyes grew wide, and Katze frowned.

"See? Forget it! I was sure you were gonna get pissed."

He turned his head to one side in annoyance. The nasty treats he was getting for those hot kisses and that – now experienced – hand on his dick! And he was really looking forward to it!

Raoul took his right hand and placed it on his buttoned shirt. "Undress me then", he whispered and it was Katze's turn to have his eyes pop out their sockets.

The Elite lay on his back, and the dealer hurried to comply. He carefully unbuttoned Raoul's shirt, planting small kisses on the ivory skin revealed to his eyes. Raoul seemed passive, except for his shallow breath, punctuating each of Katze's small nibs at his skin. He was looking over Katze's shoulder, and the redhead chided himself for putting the Elite through this. He stopped.

"Look, Raoul. I do not really understand why you have to go through this. I mean, I really want it, but seeing you suffering like this is not my kind of thing."

"I am not suffering", Raoul whispered.

The redhead stared at the dilated emerald orbs. Could it be that Raoul was aroused!

Katze grabbed Raoul's nape and kissed him deeply, while his deft fingers quickly eliminate the fabric underneath to discover silk like skin. His hand delved deeper and quickly unbuttoned the pants, grabbing Raoul's organ forcefully. The redhead broke the kiss and smiled, staring at a fairly flabbergasted Blondie.

"You are the one with the raging hard on! I knew it!"

Raoul blushed, but Katze kissed him quickly to help him hide his embarrassment. He helped the Elite out of his pants and shirt and raised a little to admire the view.

"You are just fucking beautiful", he praised and sneaked his fingers into the hem of Raoul's underwear, dragging it down, over perfectly shaped buttocks, on which his hands rested briefly.

He stood up from the bed, leaving Raoul a bit unfocused and surprised. He removed the remaining garments, and let the Blondie take in his nakedness, as well.

"Come", Raoul almost begged.

"Just one thing", Katze demanded. "The gloves. Take them off by yourself."

Raoul stared at his gloved hands, now looking awkward and strange compared with his naked body. He touched his hands together. That barrier that only once had been lowered before, to touch the one standing now, in all his naked glory, in front of him. He took them off, little by little. Strangely, there was no regret there.

Katze's smile was victorious when he jumped in the bed, next to Raoul. He circled the Elite's waist with his long arms and embraced him.

"You can touch me now. Actually, I strongly recommend it", he whispered against a pair of moist lips touching his briefly.

Raoul mimicked his gesture and embraced him, as well. Now, they were glued together, ivory skin on paler one, and, the one thing that the Elite feared, their erections touched and rubbed slowly against one another.

He should have panicked. He should have been outraged. He had never expected the perfect sensation that he actually belonged there, in the Mongrel's arms.

A hand sneaked behind and grabbed a well shaped buttock. Katze's kiss deepened, and he grinded his erection against Raoul's length. He dragged Raoul on top, forcing him to grind against him, as well. He parted his legs lightly, to allow the Blondie to fit comfortably there. He did not let go off the Elite's delicious behind. It was his right, and one that he had worked hard for.

Their breaths becoming more and more erratic, they rubbed against each other in earnest. There was enough to be gained and to be explored later. For now, the white explosion that coated their bellies, gluing them together once more was reality. And one that agreed with Katze's thoughts of a particular Elite rather well.

Raoul got off Katze, breathing hard. The redhead glanced at his profile. He had done it before, a long time ago. Would Raoul run away again? He waited anxiously, his blood starting to run cold, while the Elite did nothing but breathe.

"I … never knew."

Katze smiled.

"You knew. You just didn't want to accept it."

Raoul turned his head.

"I thought that it had been only the aphrodisiac … that time."

"Really? You never suspected it could be good even without it?"

"Not like this."

"Do you … regret it?"

"Strangely, no. Back then, I did. A lot. I could not stand myself for doing that to you. I simply used you."

"No, you did not. If so, I used you, too. It had always been my fantasy to have you take my virginity", Katze snickered.

"What are you talking about? That must have hurt a lot …"

"Yeah, sure. But you gave me the first orgasm in my life, so don't blame me for not being able to forget you."

Raoul laughed and Katze joined. The redhead kissed the Elite again. He touched the man's belly, pleased with the mix found there. He raised it to his lips and licked then pushed his fingers into Raoul's mouth. Taken by surprise, the Blondie tried to back away, but tasting both of them from Katze's hand, he softened. Mimicking the Mongrel's gesture, he licked their shared essence. The dealer could not take it anymore; he took the Elite's lips once more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~UAU~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Iason, I have to talk to you about Riki. He disappeared. I will have men look for him …"

"Don't. He is here with me."

A short pause followed.

"Ok, then. Sorry to bother you."

"No worries. I should have told you."

"Iason. I don't want to sound nosey, but what are you doing with him?"

"Right now, I am starting his training. Riki will be my Pet."

The connection cut off, Katze stared blankly at the screen. Riki the Dark, a Pet? Iason Mink's Pet? He grabbed his temples, feeling a headache coming his way. He was just hoping there would be anything left of the boy after Iason was done with him, so he could still pick up the pieces and glue them back together. First, Raoul wanted to be naked together and get into a little action, now Iason was taking a Mongrel as a Pet. Was Amoi switching its solar system or what?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~UAU~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Raoul entered his friend's penthouse carrying his medical kit. He had been informed he was to examine a new male Pet, and he had all the needed tests with him. Iason welcomed him.

"Come, Raoul, I want you to see my new Pet."

It was unusual to see a Pet in the Master's chambers, but Raoul did not ask questions.

"What stable is he from? He cannot be from the Academy, I would have known."

"He is not from the Academy, nor a stable. You will see."

Iason was acting a bit mysterious, but he also seemed too morose to ask him for more information.

The form on the bed moved when the two Blondies entered. The light invading the room revealed a dark skin beauty lying on the bed, chained to the board with thick chains. Raoul almost flinched at their sight. What kind of a Pet needed that kind of restrictions?

The male Pet tried to rise from the bed, but the chains were leaving him too little room to move.

"Hah, there's two of you now? What? Can't handle me yourself, you have to ask for your friend's help? Is a little gangbang your kind of fun? Assholes!" the Pet spat angrily.

Raoul almost felt the need to use his own hand to force his jaw back into place. That dark haired Pet was nothing but a Mongrel, and not any kind, but the worst, from the festering outskirts of Midas, from Ceres. He stared at Iason in disbelief.

"Forgive him, Raoul. I will have Riki trained. For now, just see if he is not carrying any disease."

The chains rattled again.

"You fucker! I'm not your whore! Don't touch me!" The Pet yelled, but Raoul quickly grabbed his arm and gave him a sedative.

The boy struggled a few times more, then went limp. He was still conscious, which amazed Raoul, who had never seen such resilience in a human being. He took a blood sample and ran his tests, then proceeded to a thorough physical examination. He could tell from the murderous looks thrown at him through half closed lids that his ministrations were not welcome at all. When he touched the boy's genitals, the Pet tried to squirm and get away from him. Only grunts were issued by that fowl mouth, but Raoul could understand most of the insults that were still thrown at him.

"He is in perfect health, Iason. Except for his … original personality, I would say he is completely fine."

He followed his friend out of the room, barely refraining from starting to ask questions right away. Somehow, he sensed he had to wait until the Pet could no longer hear them.

"Is he what I think he is, Iason? A Mongrel? From Ceres?"

A cloud passed over Iason's forehead.

"You have your own Mongrel, why is it so strange I take one?"

Raoul snorted. "Please, Iason, you cannot compare Katze with the uncivilized ape now kept chained to your bed. And he is not my Mongrel, and I would not address him in this manner. Iason, I warn you. He is dangerous. Release him now. I can perform a simple memory wipe on him, and he will never remember anything."

"No. He is mine."

The determination in Iason's voice muted the other Elite.

"Ok, fine. But pair him right away. This much adrenaline must be spent somehow. Find a stronger Pet that can put up with him."

Iason's lips pursed into a thin line. "I will think about it."

"Where did you find him?" Raoul continued his series of questions. "Do you realize the scandal? Everyone will be able to tell he is a Mongrel."

"Don't you find him beautiful?"

Raoul felt even more confused. "Yes, he is rather exotic, but that is not the point. This is no Academy Pet, Iason, with all the violence bred out of him. If he is smart enough, he may even learn how to act like a nice Pet, and then pounce."

"I am a Blondie, what can he do?"

Raoul shook his head in disbelief. "You are treading a dangerous line here, Iason. It will take time to train him, and even then, you may not be able to tell if he is really good, or if his dangerous streak will resurface when you least expect. Just imagine unleashing such a creature into Eos!"

Iason laughed wryly. "Now that would be something to look forward to. It is all so boring anyway."

"Because 'boring' means order, Iason. What kind of nonsense are you talking about now?"

"Raoul, my friend, you worry too much. I will turn Riki around. And, if I fail, we will just have his mind wiped and turn him into a sex doll."

Raoul shook his head again.

"And, Raoul, rest assured. No laws have been broken. I already registered him. Since he is not a citizen, I have full rights over his life."

The other Elite frowned. "I don't understand you, Iason."

"I could not understand you, either, but I've seen it and accepted it. How can you blame me?"

"Are you saying this is about me and Katze? This is insane!"

"I beg to differ, my friend", Iason replied coldly. "Mixing blood could be an interesting experiment, don't you think?"

"I really wonder what goes in your head sometimes. Just make sure to call me if something goes wrong. I am still your friend, even if I am not always in agreement with you. Remember what I told you about pairing him. It will take some of the steam off."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~UAU~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I just returned from Iason's", Raoul spoke, kissing Katze shortly on his lips. "Can you imagine? He took a Mongrel from the streets and made him into a Pet!"

Katze frowned.

"And this Pet is the foulest creature I have ever seen in my entire life", Raoul continued his tirade.

"Oh", was the only reply.

Raoul stopped. He could tell something was off, from Katze's lack of reaction.

"You knew about this. You knew and you didn't say a word?"

The Elite looked hurt. Katze cast his eyes down.

"Look, Raoul, it is not for me to comment on what Iason does. If he wants to take Riki, he takes him, if he wants to make him a Pet, he makes him. He is The Blondie, isn't he?"

"I cannot believe it. It is even worst. You know the Mongrel. How do you know him?"

"He worked for me for a few months. And, Raoul, please, he has a name."

Raoul frowned. "He is nothing but an animal. Iason getting this low? I cannot believe it! And you, are you condoning this?"

"I do not condone this", Katze uttered through clenched teeth. The last thing he had expected was a fight with Raoul. "I would have preferred having Riki working for me than seeing him turned into a Pet. He is proud, you know? Iason will break him. I just hope he does not finish him off."

"Finish him off? Iason is not a murderer! What blasphemies are you speaking, Katze?"

Katze nervously touched his temples. "I don't mean it like that. I mean breaking him so badly that Riki will not be Riki anymore."

"Why do you care so much? Have you had him?"

The redhead's eyes grew wider. "Are you jealous? Or, should I say, are you insane? For your information, Iason had his eyes set on him before I hired Riki, so, no, I have not had him!"

Katze realized too late he was almost shouting. It was not enough that Iason was playing Master and Pet with a Mongrel from Ceres. Now he had a paranoid Elite on his hands, that was throwing crap in his face.

"What if he was not liked by Iason? Would you have fucked him?"

To hear such a word from Raoul's mouth was just too much.

"You know what, Raoul? Yeah, I would have fucked him. 'Cause you are just like a teenager that loves playing around with his friend's dick, but doesn't want to get really dirty!"

It was unfair. The dealer knew it. He knew how difficult it had been for Raoul to conquer all of his Blondie's fears regarding intimacy, despite his need for bravado. And now, he was basically just throwing everything out the window, because he was furious! Fuck Riki! Fuck Iason! Fuck Raoul! Fuck all Blondies!

He turned on his heels, heading for the door. Raoul caught him within seconds.

"Where do you think you are going?"

The anger was unhidden in the Elite's voice. Katze was basically glued to the door, trapped by the Blondie's larger frame. He tried to push back in vain.

"Let me go, Raoul", he whispered through clenched teeth.

"No, I don't think so. I think maybe Iason is right, and Mongrels should be kept in chains, so they do not bite", Raoul replied in kind.

"Raoul!"

The hurt and anger in Katze's voice somehow reached Raoul, so he let go. The redhead quickly opened the door and left, leaving behind a boiling Elite, who could not grasp what had just happened.

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

And it seems I have many special thanks to give : )

Cybersuzy – great comment, I laughed so hard, yeah, Katze can be a great master ;)

Sarah – thanks a lot, here's the next part

RJ – thanks for your appreciation, it means a lot

QP – I am really flattered and hoping that you will not be disappointed

SandroFL – as usual, very perceptive of you and yeah, Katze might have gotten into some pretty nasty situation if Iason could hear him; poor boy, he was just so surprised ;)

Norm120 – what can I say, Katze is for Raoul just the thing the doctor prescribed … wait a minute, isn't he the doctor? : )) make up sex? Me likey!

Mary – I am glad when readers notice various aspects … it's quite thrilling

And for the anonymous reader that left a review and the rest – here is the update!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~UAU~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Days were passing lazily one after another, and Katze was growing impatient. He had tried to call Raoul several times, but the Blondie's Furniture had always informed him that the Master was out. Clearly, he was avoided by the majestic Elite, and, in the light of the last conversation that had taken place between them, Katze feared that he might have lost Raoul Am forever.

He was nothing but a practical man, though, and he always chased away such childish thoughts. He was almost certain Raoul was just upset and that time would clear the waters in the end. Turning the problem upside down and around was getting him nowhere, so Katze decided in favor of what appeared to be logical for the time being. He stopped calling, telling himself that if time was what Raoul needed, than time he should have at his disposal for as long as he wanted. The little voice in his mind, trying to convince him that Raoul had already forgotten him was quenched with determination.

He still had the Black Market to run and wallowing and moping around were not his style.

He happened to see Raoul again by chance, at an auction, that Katze had to attend, in order to evaluate a few Pets that were destined to be shipped abroad, after their short stop in Midas stables was brought to an end.

His now expert eyes were checking the merchandise shown on stage, mentally noting their worth and the profit that was to be made off them. He never needed pen and paper to remember things, and his well trained memory was serving him well in his current position.

His eyes traveled languidly over the male Pet pushed on stage. His come hither looks were nicely completing a remarkable physique, and Katze felt a familiar stir in his loins. He sighed. Too bad he was not allowed to play around anymore. The thought made him frown. He wasn't in the mood to think about a certain Elite and a certain pair of moist lips that had used to make him lose his mind. Annoyed, he changed his position, and almost missed the auctioneer's countdown. He quickly placed his bid, and the Pet was adjudicated. The male searched him with his eyes, smiling.

'No, cutie, I don't take you for myself, sorry about that', Katze thought, while smiling back. However, a thought crept into the dealer's mind. How long had it been since he had last sampled the merchandise? It was not like he was going anywhere soon with Raoul, since the last month had only been marked by a terrible silencio stampa.

He grabbed his coat and went back stage, where the purchased Pets were already put in line, to be handed over to their new owners. After exchanging a few words with the people at the stables to whom he was well acquainted, he started searching for the Pet that caught his eye earlier on stage.

The youth rose from his place, seeing his new owner approaching. Katze seized him with his eyes. Yes, it was a fine specimen, he had to admit. Long, elegant limbs, small waist, square shoulders, and a cute face on top of it all. His lips were red and full, and the large blue eyes were coquettishly covered by long eyelashes that fluttered, sending Katze the message he was looking for.

He took the boy's hand, and the Pet instantly glued himself to the dealer's lean body. He was barely wearing anything, leaving little to the imagination, not like Katze needed any more mental stimulation, seeing how sexually starved he felt lately.

There was no time for words. He pushed the Pet into one of the shadowed corners that were everywhere backstage, seemingly arranged with the same purpose in mind as the one that was now inhabiting Katze's thoughts. He kissed the boy briefly then pushed him down, giving him the heads up on what was asked of him. He leaned into the wall behind him, letting that experimenting mouth engulf his sex. He closed his eyes, enjoying the familiar reflex of getting aroused.

It did not last long, though. Cold air hit his naked flesh, and a small scream was heard. He blinked in confusion, trying to make something of the semi-darkness that had served as intimacy until that point. He reached for his gun, but then he heard a familiar voice saying:

"You, Pet, disappear."

The boy that had been servicing Katze almost stumbled and fell, then turned and flew away. In front of the dealer stood Raoul Am, seemingly on the verge of commiting murder, Katze could not see more than his silhouette. He could bet the Blondie's eyes were burning now.

He pulled his pants back up and quickly set his belt into place. Trying to sound formal, he spoke.

"Lord Am, what a surprise. I didn't know you are familiar with the backstage of auction sites in Midas."

He should have expected the slap. However, it still took him by surprise, and the sting he felt enraged him.

"The fuck is wrong with you?" he spat, while gingerly touching his reddened cheek.

"With me? You are sneaking around with Pets behind my back when I strictly forbid it!" came the response in kind.

"Whose back? Are you even around? Claiming to be my friend and then appearing out of the blue? And you forbid it? I don't remember such a thing. Gee, Raoul, I don't know what to say … You kind of sent me the message that we're through."

"When did I do such a thing?"

Katze could not believe the Blondie was still pretending to be upset when he had been the one to shut down communication between them.

"Silence still means something and you sure shut up a lot", Katze snorted.

"I thought some time apart was good for both of us", Raoul commented, visibly annoyed by the redhead's logic.

"Maybe for you, I got myself a nice case of blue balls", Katze spoke, coming off the shadows, yearning for seeing Raoul's face again, even in the faint light of the backstage halls. "By the way, that would have been my first sexual encounter in the last month, and now it's ruined, because of you. Are you going to do something about it?"

Katze had no idea how provocative that had sounded. Raoul grabbed his hand and just dragged the dealer after him. Soon, they were at the end of the hall, and out of the building, into the parking lot. The redhead recognized the Elite's limousine. He tried to back down. He was not in the mood for lecturing. Actually, he was pissed royally.

"Oh, no, Raoul, I still have business to attend to, and I have no time for your games."

"What business? To receive oral gratification from that … slut?"

Clearly, Raoul was very upset. He used strong words so rarely.

"I bought some Pets, I must have them shipped asap", Katze tried to ignore the comment.

"Get one of your henchmen to do it. One call", Raoul warned and let the redhead use his com to issue the needed orders.

Still unnerved by Raoul's sudden appearance back into his life, Katze obeyed. He glanced over at the Elite's face quickly; the bastard still looked as good as he remembered. It was the reason why he was almost convinced to over look that nasty slap he had received for dropping his pants for that Pet. He missed the fucker so much! Why did he have to make a drama out of everything?

He pocketed his com and bowed irreverently.

"All yours, your Highness."

Raoul ignored Katze's parody of being sarcastic and pushed him into the limousine. He quickly ordered the Furniture to take them to his penthouse, then activated the separating soundproof window, for privacy.

"Why are you still doing dirty deeds with Pets?" He asked directly, capturing both of Katze's hands with his own.

"'Cause you're not around to do them with?" Katze stated what he thought to be the obvious.

"You are never telling me enough", Raoul reproached. "You miss this oral gratification? Is a Pet better than me because of this?"

"Hello, Raoul! You are missing the point here! I called you and you did not answer back! What was I supposed to do?"

"Wait?" Raoul felt compelled to state the obvious as well. "It is clear why you are nothing but a human, despite your clever intellect. You cannot deal with your instincts. They just take over and you care nothing but about copulation!"

"Please, Raoul, just cut the crap already! Excuse me for not being a Blondie! What can I say? Why don't you hurry back to your Blondie friends that like being snotty and as up tight as much as you. As far as I am concerned, I did not ask for this. When you said you wanted to be friends, I accepted it, but then you got the crazy idea that I should not use Pets to get off, and offered yourself instead. Ok, not exactly, but you were the one to offer a substitute, and then you go preaching to me? You may not think you do too much, but, seeing how much of a Blondie you like to be, you should consider yourself dirty for doing those things with me!"

The pained look on Raoul's face almost made Katze want to swallow back his words. He had not wanted to sound harsh, but this Blondie was really getting on his nerves! He sighed.

"Look, Raoul, I do not want to dirty you or make you feel bad or anything. I thought … whatever, let's just get back to being friends, and I will keep my sexual encounters out of your face, ok? You cannot pass that line, you did enough already, and it must be eating you inside, but I want as normal a life as I can get."

Raoul threw him a sidelong glance.

"No."

"No? Then how do you intend to solve this?"

The answer was Katze being pushed back into the comfortable cushions of the limousine. Two deft hands quickly unhinged the dealer's belt, and the sound of the zipper being pulled down almost startled Katze. His pants were lowered down to his ankles, and Raoul Am, in all his glory, was kneeling in front of him, with one single intention.

"Raoul, what are you doing? This is insane …"

Katze's words died on his lips, when the one he had desired for all these years went down on him and engulfed his sex with his mouth. The memory of another hot mouth that had circled his organ only minutes before drifted from his mind like it had never been there.

Katze moaned. It was too good, it was delicious, and it was driving him insane once more. Raoul was sucking gently, as if he would break.

"Harder!" the redhead demanded, and the change of pace took him by surprise.

It was too late to ask for rewinding that last command, when his sex was squeezed with so much force into a hot cavern that deftly accommodated all his length with no intention of letting go. He moaned louder, and tried to warn Raoul, but it was too late, and all his seed went down that elegant throat that was sucking him dry like he had never been in his entire life.

Raoul finally withdrew, delicately patting his lips. Katze was thinking that he had never seen anyone more beautiful in his entire life. Wasted, he reached for a strand of copperish hair, gently caressing it.

"Sorry, Raoul, didn't mean to come like that …"

Raoul rose and kissed Katze on the lips.

"Is this the only mishap you are making yourself guilty of?" he demanded.

Katze blinked unfocused, still too relaxed in the aftermath of being given the best blowjob of his entire life.

"Oh … I see … I totally forgot about him. He's just a nobody, Raoul. No one could ever take your place, got it?"

"So, are you repenting?"

"Repenting? Oh, yes, if this is the reward, I'll do nothing but repent my entire life."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~UAU~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was bitter. The taste in his mouth could not be covered, not even by the most exquisite wine imported from the distant Aeon V. Iason winced in displeasure. He had to call Raoul. Glancing over the human form lying on his bed, seemingly dormant, the Blondie shook his head. It was not normal; had this been the answer he was looking for so badly?

"Raoul, I need you to come by my place. Yes, as fast as you can. And bring your medical kit with you."

A sigh followed.

"Yes, it is about him."

He took a blanket and carefully covered the form on the bed that moved slightly, moaning. Iason's weight on the bed caused a sudden jerk and the Blondie rose up quickly.

In the silence of the room, Iason allowed himself to frown. But who was he frowning upon?

His Furniture's voice through the intercom announcing Raoul's arrival woke him up from his morose reverie.

His friend entered the room quietly sensing that something was out of place. Without a word, Iason pointed to the form on the bed, and Raoul turned on the bed lights, briefly noticing the semi-darkness the master bedroom was sunken in.

He took the blanket off with steady gestures, but the picture in front of him drew a terrified whisper out of him.

"Jupiter!"

He quickly turned towards Iason, whose gloomy countenance now seemed in perfect synch with the situation. The other Blondie just frowned more.

"Who did this?" Raoul quickly started evaluating the patient, after donning his white hands with surgical gloves. "I know I recommended you to pair him, but this is just brutal. I hope you are considering a severe punishment, whoever that Pet belongs to. He may be just a Mongrel from the slums, but he is still your property. This should not be taken lightly by anyone in Tanagura. I would go as far as asking for the culprit to be sent away from Eos."

Raoul was continuing his tirade, while carefully turning the patient on his side, to check for internal damages. The boy's body was covered in bluish marks and bruises, the only place untouched being the face that still looked lovely, despite the obvious pain the Pet was going through. He was biting his lower lip, trying hard not to groan or scream, and Raoul had to admit that he felt something akin to admiration for the boy.

He sighed somewhat relieved, realizing that despite the bad shape the boy seemed to be in, no further damages had been inflicted on his internal organs. He was still going to use his scanner, but usually his instincts were right. Finally, he turned the boy with his face down, and helped him partially sit on his fours. The Pet seemed aware what kind of damage the doctor was now looking into, but he was too weak to protest, allowing Raoul to do how he pleased.

Raoul gasped in shock.

"What kind of a monster would abuse a Pet like that?"

The boy's rectum was torn. Raoul was horrified. He could tell that there had been some blood loss, but the Pet had already been cleaned and his wounds sanitized. He explored further, assessing the damage and quickly opened his kit. He took a powerful sedative cream from within and quickly coated the boy's insides. The moan coming from the Pet almost sounded grateful, so Raoul could tell the medicine was already working.

The Pet relaxed, and Raoul allowed him to lie down. He recovered him and rose from the bed.

"Iason, I do not understand. Pets are taught to make the act of sex enjoyable for their partners. What kind of a Master does not have enough knowledge of this protocol to avoid such situations? And, why are you not telling me who did this?"

Iason stared directly into Raoul's eyes, but the Second in Command felt his friend was just looking straight through him.

"That would be me."

It took Raoul all his willpower and a quick reminder of his teachings as a Blondie not to shout out his surprise.

He took his friend's hand. "Iason, … why?"

"I … simply wanted to do it."

"But … why like this? He may be from the wild, but I doubt he can be a match for you. You didn't have to use force!"

"I wanted to dominate him. To have him acknowledge me as his Master. After I tried so many different tactics with him all these months, I felt that there was one thing left. And I used it. Ask me now if I regret it."

"I do. I am asking you."

"The answer is 'no'."

The expression on Iason's face was icy cold. Raoul felt an unfamiliar chill crossing down his spine. He pursed his lips, not letting go off Iason's hand.

"Iason, this is too much. Do you care about breaking the boy this much?"

"I would go to any lengths. I want him."

The last words were spoken through clenched teeth. Raoul frowned.

"This is so not like you. What is this madness? Why are you willing to succumb this low? With a Mongrel from the slums?"

"It does not matter what he is. Not anymore. When he looks at me with so much rage on his face, I feel like I almost want to snap his neck and see that look gone."

Raoul barely refrained from trembling. Never before had he heard his friend speak like that.

"But, in the same time, I crave for that look. For that moment when he falls victim yet again to his rebellious streak and starts proffering profanities, struggling against his restraints, like he could have a chance. I do not know if I can explain it to you, Raoul. I feel like I am conquering vast spaces, only to be thrown back to square one in a single move he makes. Every day is a challenge."

"How long have you been using him like this?" Raoul inquired.

"Today is the first time. He finally broke, and it made me happy in ways I never imagined before."

"Happy? Iason, have you looked at him?"

For the first time since the start of their conversation, Iason seemed a bit embarrassed.

"I must admit I got a little too carried away. I know it looks bad – the whole situation – but I would not rewind the last hours for the entire world. Those marks on his body … are nothing but love bites, Raoul. I may have been harsh, but I have some stained sheets that prove the boy spent himself in my arms countless times."

"I also suppose they are stained with blood", Raoul harshly added. He finally let go of Iason's hand.

"That is why I called you. I must yet learn my limits. And his. We are just at the beginning of our journey."

"Then let me give you a piece of advice. Use lubricant next time, Iason. And you cannot touch him for two weeks. I forbid it. Because you will try it again, won't you?" Raoul spoke rapidly, barely refraining from shouting at his friend in anger.

"Of course", Iason commented, like it was the most natural thing in the world. "Riki will learn his place, the hard way, if need be. But your advice is duly noted. I would rather have him beg for other things than me to stop because he is in pain."

"Iason, why?" Raoul could no longer hold in his own pain.

"I find sex to be an exquisite tool for exercising control. You told me you are using it on Katze, are you not?"

Caught off guard, Raoul nodded feebly.

"Now tell me how Riki is. I asked for you to come, because I needed an expert's opinion."

"Do I gather you were the one to clean his wounds?"

Iason snorted. "Of course not. I had Daryl do it."

"You are even making your Furniture part of this? Iason, this is not a game."

"Daryl's lips are sealed. Do you think he would have the nerve to tell on me? To whom?"

Raoul grabbed his temples, already feeling like he had enough.

"This Mongrel is driving you insane. You are doing things, outrageous things you have never considered before. He will be your undoing, if you continue on this path. Do you no longer care who you are?"

"Don't you do the same, by taking Katze to your bed?"

"Compared to this, what happens between me and Katze is nothing but children's play!"

Iason quirked an eyebrow, visibly amused. "Raoul, you amaze me sometimes with your standards. You spend so much time with him, and you haven't mounted him yet?"

"What a disgusting term!"

"Fine, then I will use the term Riki loves so much. Why haven't you fucked him yet?"

Raoul shook his head in disbelief. "My interaction with Katze was not about fulfilling some abnormal desires with him. Never. I merely took the chance of using sex as a means to have him close to me. I never thought about soiling him this way. Or me."

Iason laughed haughtily.

"Soiling? You clearly do not understand what you are missing. Or you are a liar, which I doubt, knowing you. However, I think you are just closing your eyes to opportunities, for fears that you do not really understand yourself. I know there is more to us than serving our organization, our planet, and our deity. You never think of yourself as … how should I put it … someone that is above all that? That has the right to experience, to discover, to tell when there is a difference?"

Raoul hesitated for a brief second. "With Katze … I did. But seeing how far you are willing to go now, just because of my behavior towards your ex-Furniture, it makes me think I was wrong to think this way."

"And why is that? Rest assured, my friend. Your thing with Katze may have seemed like a catalyst, but it is barely the cause of what is happening now with me and Riki. I would have crossed that barrier at some point."

"You are our leader. If you fall, who will take your place?"

"Do you think I would neglect my duties because of my little Pet? I do not see what drove you to this conclusion."

"It is about your reputation, Iason. Do not treat everything as a joke. A leader's charisma is his lifeline. Once gone, you will fall out of favor. You do not have to answer to me. I am nothing but your friend, and I will oppose whoever will badmouth you. But you have the rest of the Blondies to answer to. I beg of you, Iason, change your ways. At least, keep up appearances. Allow your Pet to attend sex parties, so that no one suspects what is happening. If you don't do it, rumors will spread like fire. Not even you will be able to put a stop to gossip, once the slightest suspicion reaches the ballrooms of Eos."

"No. Riki will not be paired with anyone, besides me. I will not share him with some filthy Pets. Weren't you the one going nuts about the possibility of Katze sharing his bed with these – how did you call them? – disgusting creatures?"

Raoul sighed. As always, Iason had managed to make his point.

"It saddens me to see you like this, Iason. I thought I was the only one feeling something forbidden for a human being. You were above that. Don't steep too low, I beg of you."

Iason patted his shoulder. "Is my Riki ok then?"

Raoul could not believe how all of Iason's attention was drawn to the now profoundly sleeping Pet on the bed. He just added, feeling suddenly very tired: "He is resilient. He will live."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~UAU~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Raoul Am felt shaken up to his core. To see his friend, his Leader, succumbing to such desires, and for nothing but Mongrel trash! Anger mixed with disgust was making his insides torn, and it would have been a lie to say that it was only Iason's tantrum regarding his Mongrel Pet that made him feel this way. The restless feeling he was experiencing was new and it was making him tremble. Somewhere, in the pit of his stomach, a knot of sensations were fighting against one another. He had simply become too careless; he had been so focused on having Katze's undivided attention, that he had simply neglected the possibility of a scandal. It had seemed to him like all that was happening behind the closed doors of his penthouse was a well guarded secret that no one had a chance in hell to find out about. Iason was making everything real, he was basically bringing the outside world to their doorsteps. Never had he imagined that he would fear the consequences of his own – and Iason's – acts. Now, he was. He sensed fear, an unusual emotion that he doubted he had ever experienced before. Fear was putting his guts in a knot, and panic rising in his throat. He had to calm down. He almost threw himself on the sofa in his living room and groaned, trying to shake off the unpleasant sensations that were gripping his soul. And there was more. Seeing the Mongrel Pet so abused had enraged him in the beginning, but, as Iason had started talking, a strange sensation had washed over him, causing his limbs to go limp, and the lower side of his belly to start burning.

The soft knock on the door almost made him jump.

"Master, Sir Katze is here to see you", the humble Furniture informed him.

"Let him in", he ordered harshly, and the boy scouted away, instinctively aware of his Master's indisposition.

Could the boy ever listen to the door when he was conversing with Katze? As far as their carnal proclivities were concerned, Raoul had always sent the boy away on some errand, to avoid any complications or indiscretions. But the Furniture surely knew that the redhead was a fixture on the guest list, and, since he was not a Blondie, that may have looked suspicious, even to a simple servant.

"Hey", Katze greeted him and hurried by his side to quickly kiss his lips.

Raoul flinched and rose from the sofa, tip-toeing to the door. He abruptly opened the door, but there was no one there. A sigh of relief was released from his chest. From the other side of the room, Katze was watching him in consternation.

"What is it?" the redhead asked frowning.

Raoul did not answer right away. His eyes were roaming incessantly. He suddenly asked.

"Katze, does anyone know about us?"

"Besides you and me? No one, although Karl may suspect it, seeing me so happy on a daily basis."

That drew a small smile from Raoul, but it faded quickly on his lips. Katze added, unsure of what to make of the storm of emotions that were clearly messing up the Elite that was now pacing the room back and forth.

"Well, I do not know how much you tell Iason … I do not do such things, but he is your friend."

"Iason is not the problem here."

Katze mistook the Elite's obvious displeasure.

"Karl will not talk about such things. He has the perfect manners of a loyal Furniture. Do not assume …"

"I do not mean it like that", Raoul stopped him, still visibly agitated.

"Raoul, what's wrong? I have never seen you so troubled", Katze started to worry.

"Iason, our beloved Leader", Raoul took a deep breath, "is taking his Mongrel Pet to bed."

Katze's mouth fell agape. There were no words to describe his astonishment.

"I'll be damned", he whispered. "That kid …"

"Yes, that … Mongrel", the Elite spat the word in disgust and Katze flinched. "He messed with Iason's mind somehow, he lured him, I do not really know, I cannot understand how a Blondie could steep this low!"

Katze's crease between the eyebrows deepened.

"Raoul, you are not really the one to talk, are you?" he whispered in a hushed, but almost menacing tone.

Raoul stopped, suddenly aware of the change in Katze's attitude.

"I do not mean you when I talk about Mongrels. You are special."

"I am still a Mongrel, Raoul, and I really want you to remember it."

It was Raoul's turn to frown.

"You really do not grasp the implications, do you? Iason is bent on parading his Pet all over Eos, and that with the said Pet carrying the traces of what he does to him in bed. It will be a scandal that will drag Iason down! And do you think we are protected in any way? Any mishap will be terribly frowned upon. I am not even sure I am safe talking to you right now!"

Katze's eyes widened. He was understanding now. Raoul was afraid.

"But, Raoul, is there a punishment for Blondies that do such a thing? I mean, you are the most powerful on this planet, who would dare tell you what to do?"

"Even Iason and I have to answer to our bretheren, and to Jupiter, of course."

"Ok, I understand, but where is the danger? Will you be cast away? For such a thing? I must say to you, Raoul, that I searched in vain amongst Jupiter's laws for those that forbid Blondies any interactions of a more intimate manner with other beings, and, trust me, I searched a lot and I could not find anything. I understand that this is an unwritten code of ethics, so what can really happen, besides a scandal, that will eventually fade away?"

Raoul frowned more.

"Scandals can be the demise of a political leader. Iason does not seem to comprehend the risks, but I did not expect you to be so calm about this."

Katze smiled all knowingly.

"I really do not know how you see your dear friend, but, from my experience, he is a ruthless motherfucker. He has everybody by the balls right now, and a little action between the sheets with a Pet should not hurt him much, even if this is discovered."

Raoul was far from being convinced. He closed the distance between him and Katze and shook the man vigorously. "Don't you see, Katze? They may take YOU away from me!"

Katze blinked in confusion. "Who are they? And why should I be in danger because Iason chooses to bed his Pet? You really do not make much sense. I am practically invisible to the Blondies controlling the Syndicate, except for you and Iason. Whoever knows of my existence, knows only that I am his tool and servant. How are they supposed to know we are friends and more?"

Rail embraced him fiercely, and whispered into his ear. "Iason is doing the forbidden. Where will our world go without his guidance?"

"Man, you surely are a bundle of emotions today", Katze tried to calm him down. "Iason knows how to take care of himself. Do you have so little trust in his diplomatic skills? He is basically the ruler of this corner of Universe, do you think anyone would dare telling him off, because he took a hobby?"

"Do you really think so?" Raoul asked in the same hushed tone. "You maybe right, since he also seems to be so detached about it all. But why Iason? Why is he attracted to that …"

"Do not say the word", Katze warned, while petting the Blondie's mane in a gentle, but firm manner.

The warmth of Katze's arms was starting to relax him, and Raoul sighed. "I am surprised, Katze. I do not know what to say. I was always curious by nature, and I blamed my attraction for you on this thirst for discovery that had always consumed me. But Iason, he used to be the embodiment of all that is Amoi. If he changes his ways, what does it mean?"

The dealer caressed the copperish strands slowly. "It only means he fucks the one he wants."

Raoul stiffened visibly, but Katze kept him there. "Actually, I am envious of the brat … He only stays with Iason for three months, and he gets the most powerful Blondie on Amoi to drop his pants, while I am struggling for eons to see a bit of skin."

Katze's voice dropped to a sensual whisper that was sending shivers down Raoul's spine. "C'mon, Raoul, you never imagine it? How it would be?"

Raoul gasped. He whispered back. "This is not about that. It's about Iason and …"

"Hush", Katze cooed. "Just think about it, Raoul. Iason does it with his Pet. What's keeping you from doing it with me?"

Raoul had not expected such a straightforward question. He had to give it to the dealer, though. He never missed an opportunity when he saw one.

"It is not becoming for a Blondie", he spoke, but his words sounded hollow.

"Send your Furniture on a long shopping spree. I need to show you something."

Raoul sensed he was supposed to deny the dealer's invitation, but he was feeling weak to his knees. Briefly, he contemplated that he was vulnerable and that the redhead was shamelessly taking advantage of the situation. Yet, he did not fight against it. He was being used, but it was alright. He felt the imperious need to lose control. And in Katze's arms, at least he felt safe.

Feebly, he called the Furniture and instructed him to replenish the household supplies.

The boy gone, he turned towards Katze, waiting. The dealer wore a mischievous smile on his face.

When Katze touched him, he almost jumped, but the touch was soft, feather like, and it eventually made him relax. The redhead kissed the beautiful lips briefly, while his hands were deftly discarding the clothes from the Blondie's body. He pushed Raoul gently into the sofa, and the Elite obeyed like a child, his eyes never leaving Katze.

Sprawled on the sofa, with his legs parted slightly, completely naked, his breath short and fast, his eyes gleaming, the Blondie was a sight to behold. The dealer stopped for a second, drinking in the image before his eyes. He elegantly kneeled in front of Raoul, parting his legs more.

"It may have been a long time, but I still know how it is done. Just close your eyes and enjoy it, Raoul."

"No", came the feeble reply.

Katze raised his head in question.

"I want to look at you", Raoul added and Katze smiled.

He carefully touched the Blondie's already aroused organ and tugged at it gently. Locking his eyes with Raoul's, he delved in and took his manhood into his mouth to the hilt. Raoul arched and gasped at the invading sensation and Katze gulped carefully, adjusting to the man's size. He withdrew a little, using his tongue to tease the Elite's delicate head. Raoul moaned, but he maintained eye contact nonetheless. Katze started sucking him from tip to hilt, with long, torturous moves. Raoul grabbed his hair and urged him to a quicker pace, to which the redhead happily complied.

The Blondie's lips parted slightly, and Katze almost smiled. Triumph was something he always loved to bask in. Raoul's more erratic breathe warned him; he grabbed the Elite's steeled organ and pumped it into his mouth, milking him of all the precious essence his lover was capable of delivering. Raoul moaned shamelessly and released himself into that beautiful, talented mouth.

Katze reluctantly let go of the now limp organ and licked his lips, while Raoul was still watching him.

"You needed this", he pointed out, plopping himself next to the Elite on the sofa. "Just stop denying it all the time, and it will all be much easier for us all. Iason is just more honest, or he simply cares less about what others think, so he takes what he wants. You must always be the Blondie. Just take a little break from time to time."

He embraced the naked Blondie and kissed him deeply. His kiss was returned in kind, and Katze's hand traveled to a newly awakened arousal.

"You are so fast …" he chuckled, but his mouth was taken again, now more passionately.

Soon, the tables were turned, and Katze found himself just beneath the gorgeous Elite, whose emerald orbs were now burning.

"Do you know what Iason asked me?" Raoul almost chanted.

"How should I know?" Katze barely uttered, while he was undressed hastily, and his clothes were flying all over the room.

"He asked how I refrained from mounting you …"

"Yeah, really, how could you do such a thing?" Katze joked.

"Does this not offend you?" Raoul whispered.

"Nah … a knife to my cheek 'offended' me … nothing really could offend me coming from Iason …"

"But what about from me?"

Raoul quickly turned Katze with his face down and helped him rise on his fours, making him stick his ass into the air, and firmly tugging at the man's erection.

"What exactly could you do to offend me?"

Two long fingers coated with a substance that felt cold against his rectum made him gasp.

"Just a little something to lower your discomfort", Raoul murmured.

Katze tried to protest, but his knees were giving out already. He felt a little numb, but once a blunt head was starting stretching him, he also felt a little grateful towards the Blondie's consideration. He gasped loudly, as he was entered a little bit forcibly. He could sense Raoul was tense.

"Cool way to vent off some steam", he feebly attempted a joke, but it was no use denying that he was feeling torn in two. After all, this was just his second time being penetrated by the Blondie's huge erection, and he was soon filled to the brim.

A hand in his hair made him arch. Raoul was a little rough, and Katze felt excitement mixed with fear. He was basically fucked into the sofa, as the Blondie drilled him in earnest, with swift, ample moves, that pounded into him with each stroke. However, it was far from being unpleasant, and Katze pushed back in response. An almost animalistic growl could be heard, and the redhead gulped. Maybe teasing the beast in his predator mode had not been such a good idea.

The Blondie grabbed his hips and quickened the pace. Katze's prostate was hit over and over again, so powerfully, that the redhead felt his eyes rolling in his head. He came by this stimulation alone and his pulsating muscles drew Raoul over the edge, as well. The Blondie spent himself with a last growl and collapsed over a very satiated Mongrel.

Katze was breathing hard. The Blondie's weight felt good. It felt real, and the redhead smiled to himself. Finally, Raoul was his.

Raoul withdrew carefully, and Katze turned to look at him. The Blondie looked a bit embarrassed and confused, and the redhead frowned.

"What now?" he asked almost exasperated, not willing to let go of the exquisite occasion to bask in the aftermath without a care in the world.

"I … am sorry, Katze, I did not mean to hurt you. I do not know what really happened …"

Katze quickly caught his hands.

"Hey, Raoul, you didn't hurt me, sex is not nice, nor clean. Just enjoy it for fuck's sake."

He dragged the Blondie next to him and kissed him deeply on the lips.

"I came hard. And you did, too. Just close your eyes a little and stop thinking so much."

Raoul complied, not without hiding a small smile.

"So Iason is 'mounting' the brat?"

Raoul almost growled.

"Yes, he does, and he made a mess."

"Meaning?"

"He … used too much force."

"Oh, that is why you worried you hurt me?"

Raoul nodded.

"Is Riki alright?"

"He will be."

A moment of silence followed.

"Raoul."

"Yes."

"Did Iason's rough taking of his Pet arouse you?"

Another moment of silence, followed by an almost inaudible sound.

"Yes."

"Thanks for being honest, Blondie", Katze spoke.

"Katze."

"Yes."

"Do not talk about other men when we are in bed, naked."

"Roger that."

Breathing softly, Raoul closed his eyes. Katze rested his head against his lover's shoulders.

"Why were you so scared, Raoul? You are always so calm … so Blondie like."

Raoul used one hand to raise the blonde strands covering his left ear.

"Do you see this?"

Katze nodded. "I saw this type of earring, on Iason's ear, too. It's just a symbol, right?"

Raoul shook his head. "It is a PAM."

Katze's eyes grew wider and an unfamiliar chill crossed his spine. "I thought only Midas citizens carry such a thing."

"Our PAMs are a bit more sophisticated, but they perform the same function. That is …"

"To execute you by poisoning", Katze murmured, a cloud passing over his face. He was now understanding why, in his eyes, Iason's audacity was close to madness.

"It never really happened to a Blondie. But these devices are implanted in our ears to remind us that no matter how high we are placed on the social ladder, we are still subjects to a higher power. We are still mortals", Raoul explained on an even tone, as Katze's eyes grew darker.

The redhead embraced his lover carefully. "Are you in danger, Raoul? Because of me?"

Raoul seemed a bit surprised. "No, I was not thinking about this. I was thinking about you. That you may fall prey to others' machinations, because of your involvement with me. And about Iason …"

"We need to keep this a secret", Katze spoke, looking determined. "Since Iason is the only one that knows about you and me, Karl just barely suspects it, and he is trustworthy, no one else will know."

"My Furniture", Raoul spoke matter-of-factly.

"Why? You told him?" Katze quirked an eyebrow.

"No, of course not, what a preposterous thing to say!"

"Raoul, he does not even dare suspect anything."

"How would you know?"

"News Flash, Blondie. I used to be a Furniture. Look at me, I am the only one that broke the rules and made it to the Black Market. The others, for more trivial things, are spending the remains of their days in Rayana Uugo, arent't they?"

Raoul nodded.

"Furniture are too scared and too obedient to think more than is required. This is one thing I learned the hard way. Although no one tells us what can happen to us if we fail to please our Masters, fear is too imprinted in our souls, to risk everything for a mere suspicion."

"But you did break the rules", Raoul pointed out.

"This does not mean I was not afraid. But hell, letting myself be devoured by curiosity was not an option either."

Pensively, Raoul touched the scarred cheek.

"You never told me what happened."

Katze sighed. "It was when Iason caught me hacking. Then he sent me to rule the Black Market."

"But for him to do such a thing …"

"Oh, trust me, Raoul, there was no anger in him when he did it. It was just one of his calculations. You should have seen him …"

The horrified look in Raoul's eyes spoke volumes.

"Ok, maybe not. I thought I was dead, but he was cool and calm, watching me, gauging my reactions, I could almost swear it was pleasing him the way I squirmed under his gaze."

Raoul stiffened and Katze caressed a tense jaw. "It's all in the past now, Raoul. And even this scar makes me what I am today. I must thank Iason for it, despite his unorthodox methods. I could have ended up in Rayana Uugo, you know?" he spoke softly into his lover's ear. "Instead, he gave me life."

"He marked you", Raoul whispered. "He made you … his."

Katze kissed tight lips. "You are wrong. I have never felt like I belonged to him, more than on paper. But you, … you stole my heart the moment I first laid eyes on you."

The tight lips opened, allowing Katze to kiss them fully. That was the kind of declaration Raoul had not expected, although he had hoped for it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~UAU~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Katze was now understanding what they meant by 'having the time of your life'. Experiencing sex had been one thing, experiencing it with Raoul was out of this world. The numbness in his feet, that sensation like floating on air, his swollen lips, too many times taken, until he had felt tinkling inside and bursting out of his skin, everything about the evening spent with Raoul was almost making him want to jump from joy, or at least sing and take a few dance steps on the pavement. However, making a scene on the streets of Midas was not recommended, so Katze dug his fingernails in his palms, decided to refrain from any inappropriate gestures, while heading back home.

"Hey, Katze", Karl welcomed him and Katze nodded, still trying to contain his happiness inside.

"Are you alright?" the youth asked, throwing him a quizzical look.

"Couldn't be better", Katze answered, no longer hiding a sheepish smile.

Karl shook his head. "If you say so. If I didn't know better, I would have said you've just been fucked."

Katze giggled so hard, hearing his friend putting it in the plainest terms. Karl's eyes widened.

"You didn't … did you? With him? No one else could do that to you, I've seen you before", he finally spoke.

Katze just nodded and placed a finger on his lips. "Hush, no one should know."

"And no one will", Karl solemnly swore, then he grabbed a chair, sat and put his chin in his palm. "Now tell me all about it."

Katze laughed again. "Karl, a gentleman does not kiss and tell."

Karl pouted. "C'mon, I tell you all about me and Jake."

"Despite my protests", Katze warned, but he felt too good to actually care. "It was just … awesome. We went at it for … I don't know how long, really … how about a cup of coffee, Karl?"

The two friends giggled. Karl sauntered to the kitchen to bring Katze his daily and nightly fixture.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~UAU~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The dark Pet was the last person Raoul wished to see, while stepping into Iason's living room. But he was there, and the Blondie was not going to back down because of such a small inconvenience. The youth raised his head, his shoulders tense, upon his entrance, releasing a small sigh of relief seeing he was not Iason.

The Furniture shifted nervously, when the Pet made no formal gestures towards the honored guest, not even saying hello.

"You can go attend to your tasks, Daryl", Raoul instructed him and the boy seemed somewhat relieved to be excused from the room.

Ignoring the Pet and his morose countenance, Raoul sat on a sofa. The boy was the first to break the silence.

"You're that doctor, right?"

Raoul frowned upon the Pet's lack of manners, but refrained.

"Yes."

"Thanks … I guess", the boy uttered.

"No need to", Raoul replied in an icy tone.

The Blondie's displeasure was not ignored.

"You hate my guts, don't you?" the Pet asked, his head cocked to one side.

"Perceptive", Raoul agreed.

The boy came closer, making the Blondie suddenly aware of the air of masculinity he was exuding through all his pores. He was moving quickly, like a wild animal, and Raoul became suddenly apprehensive.

The Pet bent and almost whispered into his ear: "Then let me go and I will be out of your hair in no time."

The crease between Raoul's eyebrows deepened. "It is not in my power, and even if it was, I would not betray Lord Mink."

"Iason's a jerk", the boy straightened up and stepped away from the Blondie.

"Address him respectfully", Raoul boomed, but the boy did not seem to be taken aback by his outburst.

"No shit. Why should I do that?"

The Pet took a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. Taking a long drag, he headed towards the balcony.

"You should fear Iason more", Raoul spoke in an icy tone. This Pet was really getting on his nerves.

The boy just waved, seemingly bored, not turning towards Raoul.

Through the glass door, Raoul stared at the dark silhouette. The Pet looked tense, nervous, despite his bravado. In Iason's paradise, things did not seem to be in order.

"Hello, Raoul, I hope you have not waited for me too long", the Master of the house made his entrance.

Iason's eyes past over Raoul and rested for a brief moment on the balcony door. Raoul could tell his friend was aching to see his Pet, despite his usual calm countenance.

"If I am intruding …" Raoul rose.

"No, not at all", Iason motioned his friend to sit back. "It has been a long day."

"Yes, the delegation from Agresta was all over you today. I only stopped by to see how you are. We barely talk to each other these days."

"And this is one thing I should not overlook", Iason courteously added.

The loud bang of the balcony door opening and shutting almost startled the duo. The Pet threw a murderous look towards his Master and continued his course towards the door.

"Riki."

Raoul watched in fascination. No command was issued, and Iason's tone seemed as usual, despite carrying a certain warmth to it.

"What?" the boy snapped.

"Come here."

Raoul was expecting the rambunctious Pet to disobey, but, to his disbelief, the boy turned and dragged his feet towards Iason.

"Assume the position."

Raoul felt hotness burning under his coller. What was that command for? He barely refrain a sigh of relief, seeing the Pet planting himself at Iason's feet, his head down, seemingly interested in inspecting the soles of his footwear.

Iason's hand rested on top of the boy's head, and Raoul could swear the Pet was on the brink of disobeying again. Yet he remained there, with a dark look on his face, his shoulders hunched and his legs crossed.

TBC


End file.
